Photographic Memories
by Bee the Gatekeeper
Summary: Steam Powered Giraffe fanfic... semi-manga style (nod to Inuyasha) The Spine, trying to help his brothers, falls with them through time into Feudal Japan where he meets a beautiful priestess. He has to find his brothers so they can all help her fight her ancestral enemy in order to get home... if he still wants to get home. From a story synopsis and song by David Michael Bennett.
1. Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

"We're almost to the top! What's the hold up?" called Rabbit.

Six exhausted humans trudged up a long staircase, each in a different spot. Steve Negrete made it halfway before slowing down. Matt and Michael were near the bottom still. The Walter Girls toiled in between, Carolina in the lead.

The Spine smirked as he stepped up the last step and looked back. Rabbit had figured Walter Girl Bunny would lead the group after Steve. Thanks to all the time he and Bunny had spent playing video games, however, Rabbit now owed The Spine twenty dollars.

Rabbit and Hatchworth joined him. Hatchworth settled on the ground with a hiss of steam while Rabbit turned to look back.

"Aw, come on, Bunny!" he groaned. The Spine knew it wasn't about the money. Rabbit just didn't like losing.

She waved feebly and sat down to rest. Rabbit put his hands over his face.

Steve stomped up the last few steps and jogged around the archway, stretching. "This place is amazing, guys," he called down encouragingly. He peered past the piled stones of the arch. "Shouldn't there be someone here to meet us?"

"We are… an hour late," gasped Carolina, still ten steps down.

"Yeah… I'm heading in to let them know we're here." He jogged through the stone courtyard toward the little temple.

"Here," said Rabbit flatly, handing The Spine his money as Carolina arrived at the top and sank down next to Hatchworth. He gave her a bottle of water from his pack.

"Why do we need to come here anyway? Shouldn't we just go to the theater?" asked Hatchworth.

"They paid for us to come to Japan, and they wanted us to meet them at the shrine, so here we are," Carolina gasped. "That's all I know."

"Alrighty."

The Spine had wondered the same thing many times. He had been curious to see the little shrine, however, so made no objections. He could see the little red temple from there. Steve was walking around it.

"Go inside," called The Spine. "Maybe the monk is hard of hearing…"

"It's… uh… kinda creepy," he called back. He looked up at the doorway where a string held an assortment of paper objects. "Like a big mouth with snaggly teeth. And it's pitch black in there…"

The Spine snorted. Imagine a guy like Steve being afraid of the dark! "Alright. I'll check it out." He pocketed the money and strolled into the courtyard.

It wasn't a fancy temple. It looked old… very old. The paint flaked in places, showing older red paint beneath. Around the sides were assorted stones and miniature arches like littler shrines, clustered together, with little statues of foxes here and there. And beyond those was a taller stone arch with Japanese characters lining its columns. There was something lying underneath…

Curious, The Spine turned from the little temple and approached the stone arch. Beneath the arch lay a sword in an elaborate sheath. Its handle was stained almost black in places.

"Spine? What're you doing?" called Steve.

He stared at the sword. Was that what was usually left at Japanese monuments? Weapons?

"Rabbit! Come check this out!" Steve called, apparently giving up on getting The Spine to enter the little temple.

"Come on, Hatchy. Robuts ain't superstitious."

"Right-o, brother."

The Spine glanced around quickly and picked the sword up for just a moment, admiring the craftsmanship and artistry of the sheath. He drew the sword and examined the blade.

"I don't like the look of this, Rabbit…" came Steve's voice, but The Spine didn't even glance their way.

"Beautiful…" he murmured, and paused, peering at the stains on the handle. Was that… blood? He touched it with his finger. It was still sticky. His eyes widened. Why would there be blood on the sword?

"Alright, I'll go in," Rabbit scoffed. "It's just a little dark, ya bunch of babies."

The Spine studied the weapon. Should he tell the police, maybe? It might be a murder weapon…

"Hatchy!" Rabbit shrieked, startling him. He looked up sharply.

"Something's got me! Hatchy!"

"Very funny, brother," said Hatchworth.

The Spine relaxed. "Honestly, Rabbit," he muttered reproachfully.

"Argh! No! Help me!"

"This is just another one of your shenanigans…"

"Hatchy! Please! It's too strong!"

"Oh, no, I am not falling for this one, Rabbit old friend. I did not come out of the vault yesterday, you know."

"Hatch-" Rabbit's scream was cut off sharply.

"Rabbit?"

"Rabbit, stop it!" Steve called worriedly. There was no response. "Um, Spine?"

The Spine ran. Rabbit might have been taking the prank too far. He often did. But there was something about this old shrine, the bloody sword, the mysterious temple door… Better safe than sorry.

"What happened?" he cried as he arrived.

"Spine…" said Hatchworth, wringing his hands. "Rabbit went into the little temple… He is so quiet, Spine. Quiet is not like Rabbit."

"Alright, I'm freaking out," said Steve. "I swear I saw a flash of light."

Several of the other humans staggered up the last few steps, gasping for air. "Where's… Rabbit?" asked Paige.

Hatchworth pointed at the gaping jaws of the temple. She started toward it and he caught her arm to stop her.

"Hatchworth? What's going on?"

"This place is seriously freaky, guys!" said Steve. "Rabbit went in there and started screaming and… We need to call the police, man."

"What? Rabbit!" she called. A shutter began to flip in the rising wind.

"Rabbit?" The Spine called, leaning around the doorframe.

"Spine, wait…" said Steve nervously.

"It's pitch black in there…" Paige murmured tremulously. "Rabbit? Come on, you're scaring everyone. This isn't funny."

Silence. They all looked at each other.

"Rabbit, get your butt out here and stop freaking me out!" shouted Paige.

"Can't you see anything, Spine? What about your night vision?" asked Michael.

"Switched on. It's like something's sucking in all the light…"

"What? Are you putting me on?"

Walter Girl Bunny dragged up the last few steps and approached. She shrugged at Paige.

"Rabbit's in there but he won't say anything…" said Paige, her voice trembling.

Bunny glared at them all. The Spine could guess what she was thinking… why were they all standing outside, then? She stood before the doorway, clapped sharply, and put her hands on her hips. This was usually enough to get Rabbit to stop his nonsense… you don't cross Walter Girl Bunny.

The only sound was the rising wind. Bunny stared sternly for a few heartbeats and startled everyone with a great sucking gasp. She stared at each of them in turn, wide eyed, as she pointed at The Spine.

"Spine… are you sliding?" Paige exclaimed.

"What?"

He realized he was edging closer to the doorway. He stepped backward but his forward motion didn't stop.

"Hatchy!" he cried.

Hatchworth grabbed his arm and braced his feet on the stone court. The doorway came closer.

"Michael! Steve! I can't stop it!" cried Hatchworth.

They started forward as The Spine grabbed onto the door frame with his free hand. Free hand? He still had the sword? He tried to drop it, to save himself, but his hand wouldn't open. He concentrated but his fingers wouldn't budge.

This wasn't right… things like this didn't happen…

"No!" he cried. "Hatchy, let go!" His fingers were slipping from the wood as the pull grew stronger. He looked at Michael and barked, "Don't grab on! You'll be pulled in, too!"

"No, brother!" Hatchworth cried, tightening his grip. "Not this time!"

The men, seeing their forward motion, hesitated.

"Spine… Steve, what do we do?" cried Michael.

"Just let me go!" The Spine responded through clenched teeth as his feet passed the threshold. "Something's pulling… I can't hold on much longer! Stay back!"

"Maybe there's a rope or something… " Michael replied, looking around helplessly.

"No!" The wooden door frame popped loudly under his fingers.

"We can't just let you…" Steve began.

"Yes!" interrupted The Spine as the wood splintered and his hand came loose. "You can…"

He was torn from the bright light into blackness, Hatchworth still hanging from his arm.

Matt stepped up the last stair and said, "Hey, I found this big cricket down here. It makes the coolest sound… What was all the yelling about, anyway?"


	2. Chapter 2: Battered and Bruised

"Where am I?"

**_loading… loading… loading…_**said a male voice.

**_Japan, Kyoto region_**_._

"Oh… what day is it?"

**_loading… loading… loading_**_…_

**_loading… loading… loading_**_…_ the man continued.

**_network has timed out_**_… _said a woman.

_That's not a good sign… I'm hearing voices. And they don't know the time._

He tried to sit up and heard a loud crack. The world tore away and he plummeted, landing with a thunderous crash.

He groaned and swore. His left shoulder twitched, and his arm began to spasm.

"Ugh… "

He chose to feel around a little before moving again. The ground seemed to have arrived at last. He could only assume he'd been in a tree before.

"What's going on?" he murmured.

**_loading…_**

**_data not found._**

"How did I get here, then?"

**_loading…_** said the man's voice.

**_memory restore_****…** said the woman.

Rabbit… _Hatchy! Something's got me!_ Michael Reed's look of terror… darkness, and Hatchy's voice… _Brother! When will we stop falling? Did Rabbit fall down here as well? Will we find a white rabbit, The Spine? The Spine… _Hatchy's voice growing fainter as they were blown away from each other… the crunch of branches and everything stopping for a while…

He sat up sharply as he remembered. Pain shot through his left shoulder. He groaned and squinted into the darkness.

"I can't see a thing…" he murmured.

**_initializing night vision_**_…_ the woman's voice said.

"Hello?"

**_night vision is now online…_**

"How hard did I land?" he wondered, seeing the countryside at last. The Shrine was nowhere in sight.

**_you struck the ground at a speed of…_**

"Never mind."

**_query abort…_**

It had to have been pretty hard. He wasn't supposed to hear a running dialogue of his processes. They were just supposed to happen. Something must be loose, he thought. His head ached badly enough to bear out that fact.

"Why am I hearing two voices, though?"

He heard a crackle. **_Hello, this is Walter Girl Carolina. You have asked about the various voices associated with your emergency backup operating system. A variety of voices have been supplied by different generations of Walter descendants. I have taken the liberty of standing in for Peter Walter VI because he won't get off his lazy butt and come in to record the commands, and you have a concert coming up so I need to get you back online. Please seek repairs at the nearest opportunity to discontinue hearing these commands_****.**

Ah, yes. The time he'd gone in for a software update and lost a full week. Rabbit had told him he'd gone rogue and torn up a quilter's convention.

Rabbit! Hatchworth! How had he forgotten?

**_loading… loading… loading…_**

Great. He had lag. "Abort!" he snapped.

**_query abort…_**

"Dang straight."

He struggled painfully to his feet and staggered from the torn and twisted branches of the tree that had broken his fall. He couldn't see his hat anywhere.

"Aww…" He loved that hat.

Still, maybe in the daytime he would be able to find it. Meanwhile, he had a terrible headache. He opened a panel in his head and felt around. A yes, a loose wire. He heard it pop and spark as he touched it and delicately poked it away from its former position with his finger tip. The pain faded. He'd have to find his brothers before it could be reconnected… hopefully reconnecting his main operating system at the same time.

"Are there people near here?" he asked, hoping he still had the ability to trace heat signatures.

**_loading…_**

**_the nearest humanoid life form is 599 to 613 yards north-northeast of your current location…_**

He strode off the best he could through the undergrowth, thinking that the good thing about hearing voices in your head is that you never get lonely. His legs were undamaged and he covered ground quickly.

**_500 yards…_**

He knew what it was, of course. He'd been damaged and was actually offline. He was dreaming all this. If he just kept going, sooner or later, he'd wake up and find it out. That was the only possible answer. They were likely working on him right now, back in Walter Manor.

**_400 yards…_**

Or maybe they _had_ actually gone to Japan and Rabbit had fallen into an old well and he'd fallen in after while trying to save him. Or maybe it was the other way around. No, that didn't seem likely. He supposed it didn't matter. If it had, he hoped they'd be careful with his wig when they hooked up the cables to haul him out.

**_300 yards…_**

Though how they'd get a crane all the way up all those steps was the real question… He stomped through some especially tenacious shrubs and decided his dreams were entirely too vivid.

**_200 yards…_**

Pappy would have been impressed with the vividness of his dreams, of course. Pappy was impressed with everything he and his brothers did…

His brothers! He'd forgotten about them again! He had to get his primary processor back online… he was a flake without it.

**_100 yards…_**

He thought he could see a flicker of a campfire. He slowed down. There was the slightest rustle in the bushes and the sound of someone being beaned with a frying pan.

The Spine woke up laughing. He'd always enjoyed that sound effect.

The next moment, he groaned with deep sincerity as his head surged, literally, with electrical pulses of white hot pain.

"Ugh…"

**_Systems online… still at reduced capacity. Back-up processor online… Warning… primary processor connector is near pain receptors. You may experience tingling…_**

"Shut up…" he moaned miserably and tried to reach back to open his head plate and reposition the wire once more. It was only then he realized his arm was restrained.

He tugged. Make that both arms and his legs, all tied to different trees. Nearby, a campfire crackled softly.

"Why?" he groaned. "Let me go… I don't wanna hafta hurt you…"

"Be silent, demon!" a voice hissed somewhere in the shadows. He was almost certain it was female.

"What?" He understood the words but something wasn't right. He realized the voice had spoken Japanese. He concentrated.

**_Accessing Japanese language module… Japanese mode is now online._**

"I'd love to be silent," he replied, "once I'm untied. I'm in a great deal of pain…"

"Why were you stalking me? Did the Beast send you?"

"The what, now?"

"The Beast," she said slowly. "If it was not he, then why did you approach? What were you planning?"

The Spine was irritated. His head ached terribly, his shoulder hurt, he was pretty sure a couple of his smokestacks were blocked, and he needed to find a way home. Here he'd been walking along, minding his own business, when she'd attacked _him_! Where did she come off accusing him of coming after her?

**_cycling personality mode… _**

_I can do that?_

**_you have several personality modes installed in the event of extreme strain on the primary personality. These modes take on the names of famous persons._**

_Why?_

**_sigh…_****_Because Peter thinks he's _****so****_ funny…_**

Whatever. "Look, sweetheart… I don't know what you were expecting but I'm just tryin' to find my brothers and be on my way."

**_Harrison Ford mode is now online._**

_Really?_

"Your brothers… There are more of you?"

"Somewhere, yeah! I'd kinda like to find them before something bad happens, that is, with your permission…"

**_sarcasm module at maximum capacity…_**

_Now you're just making things up!_

"If there are more of you, demon, then I am bound to seek out and destroy you all, whether or not you work for the Beast."

"What? Why? What did we do to you?"

"You are demons. You plague humans. You destroy families."

Was there a tremor in her voice? He sighed. "Fine," he said as he stared up into the lightening sky. "Go ahead."

"What?"

"Kill me."

"Is this a trick?"

"Not at all. I like being killed. It relaxes me."

There was a crackle and a popping sound.

**_sarcasm module overload._**

There was a sharp gasp and a pause.

"I think perhaps you would not be so easy to kill, monster."

She stepped into the fading light of the campfire. He stared. She was beautiful! She held a katana and was wearing some sort of armor, like a Samurai and yet different, graceful, fitted to her form, which was also impressive. Her long black hair was bound tightly in the back, but several strands had worked their way loose and hung over her delicate features. She was young; how young, the dim light could not reveal.

"Monster?" he managed. "Is that an upgrade from demon, by any chance?"

"It is. It means I will not kill you yet."

"I think you're all talk," he commented. "I think you can't kill me and you're covering your butt."

"Watch how you speak, monster. Your life is mine to do with as I see fit."

"You talk big, but I don't think you know what you're dealing with. I can get myself free, y'know. I could snap these ropes, but it would be pretty violent and I'd hate for you to get hurt."

She smirked at him and sheathed her sword. "Very well, monster. Do what you must."

He swore softly in English. Could he actually do it? His shoulder wasn't right…

**_Harrison Ford mode failure imminent…_**

_You said it._

"Alright, lady. You got it. Stand back."

She took a tiny step backward and folded her arms.

_You little…_

He braced himself. He knew it was going to hurt. It was going to hurt a lot. But he was angry… a hot, dull, achy, crabby sort of anger that just wanted to prove something to this fair-faced little vixen who smirked down at him.

**_Harrison Ford mode is now offline, _**said Carolina's voice.**_Teddy Roosevelt mode active._**

_Well, that's not so bad… real nice guy, Teddy Roosevelt._

He started to pull and hissed in pain. Work through it, Spine, he thought, doing most of the pulling on the right side. The left still felt the strain, though, and he clamped his eyes shut as he struggled. The rope on his left leg snapped. She gasped.

He stopped a moment to recover before it got really painful. Doing his best to keep all the pulling on one side, he started once more, trying to free his right leg. Working with opposites was more effective, however, and he was finally obliged to try and use his left arm.

It was almost unbearable. He hissed with pain but kept pulling.

"Monster… your shoulder is injured…"

"So?" he said through clenched teeth.

"You're bleeding. Possibly you should stop…"

He didn't care. He was done with this place. He didn't know how he was getting back home, but to start with he needed to get loose and she seemed happy to keep him tied up. And he was too angry to reason with her.

He was trembling. _Maybe if I just get it over with,_ he decided, and gave one massive pull.

That was a huge mistake. His shoulder popped loudly and sparked. The Spine screamed, biting it off midway in embarrassment.

"Monster, stop!" she cried, sounding pained.

_Great, pity_. He sagged back onto the ground, shuddering. Oil leaked from his eyes and he shut them quickly.

"Fine," he growled wearily. "I guess you really can kill me."

**_Teddy Roosevelt is offline. Ingmar Bergman mode is now online._**

He sighed. What was he going to do now? How could he help his brothers like this?

He heard her draw her sword. Whaddya know… She was going to try and kill him after all. She was going to have a hard time of it, he mused, but if she cut between his neck plates, he'd essentially be dead.

He heard the weapon slice through the air and his arms were suddenly free. One swish later and his leg was freed.

"Thank you," he murmured, sitting up slowly. It still hurt, but it felt good to be free of the ropes.

**_Ingmar Bergman is offline._**

Thank goodness. He had plans to have a talk with Peter VI when he got back. Multiple personalities? What had he been thinking?

She crouched in front of him and looked up into his face as if studying it. He raised his eyebrows in response but she didn't react. At last it was too much; he smiled nervously and looked away.

"Tell me about your brothers," she murmured.

The crash site was nothing more than a pile of branches below a badly scarred tree. She stepped carefully over the fallen boughs and looked up.

"What do you expect to see?" he asked, searching the branches for some trace of his lost Fedora.

She remained silent.

"Right."

He'd told her about Rabbit and Hatchworth, and about the events that had brought him here, being careful to keep it simple. He failed to mention that he'd come from the future, for one thing. He didn't even try to tell her what a robot was. She seemed to think he was some kind of supernatural being with armored skin. That worked for now. It also sounded really cool.

He shook his head. His backup systems were a mess. He didn't know whether they had been that poorly programmed or whether the backup was also damaged. Neither prospect was very reassuring.

He noticed a familiar shape in the pile of wood and scooped it up. The sword! He'd been unable to force his hand open the entire time he and Hatchworth had been falling through nothingness. What had made his hand open at last?

He strapped the blade around his back and walked to the girl. She looked at the weapon in surprise. "You have a sword?"

"I do. I picked it up recently." Rabbit would have appreciated that one, he thought, and gulped. Rabbit _would_ appreciate that one... no, Rabbit _will_ appreciate it when I tell him later because Rabbit is okay…

"Good. Your company will be enough of a burden."

**_Defensive mode activating… primary system defensive mode override unavailable… Nicholas Cage mode online…_**

"What?" he snapped, a little shrilly. "Who says I want _your_ company either? And who's a burden? You saw what I did back there. I snapped a hand-made rope with sheer strength, miss… What's your name, anyway?"

"You may call me priestess. You?"

"The Spine, priestess."

"How strange. Well, you are from far away, and injured. I do not know what curse has sent you here, but I fear no curses. I have known the worst there is to know and lived. I will take you under my protection. Come with me. I must travel to a village three days distant to slay a demon that plagues them. Maybe along the way we will hear word of your brothers."

He had been set to refuse her offer. He didn't much appreciate being treated like a burden. But he also knew he had no other options. If there was even a chance of find Rabbit and Hatchworth…

He swallowed his pride, frustrated at how difficult it was in this mode, and nodded.

**_Nicholas Cage mode offline._**

"Alright. If you are ready, we can start."

"Ready as I'll ever be."

She gave a curt nod and started walking. He followed.

**_Little Mermaid mode online…_**

_Disable mode chance notifications! Limit notifications to necessary messages only._

**_mode change notifications disabled. Limiting notifications to error messages, start up and shut down. New settings accepted?_**

_Yes. _That was a relief. The mood swings were bad enough without knowing what Peter VI had thought they should be called.


	3. Chapter 3: One of Those Destiny Chapters

Day one was walking. A lot of it. He stayed behind her; after all, he didn't know the way. Besides, it gave him the chance to observe a few things about her.

She was nervous. She fiddled with the handle of her sword almost constantly, and snapped her gaze around anytime the bushes rustled.

That evening, they camped by a river. She had a little wooden cup that she allowed him to use and he spent several minutes by the water, filling his boiler. A fish swam near and on impulse, he reached out and snatched it from the water.

When he returned, she had built a small fire. She pulled a few provisions from her pack and shook her head. He cleared his throat and held out the fish.

She stared at it.

"Here. I thought you could… eat it."

"You caught only one."

He lowered the fish, frowning. Here he was trying to be nice… "It was kind of a surprise. It just happened to swim by…"

"It will not be enough."

"One fish isn't enough for you?"

"For me, yes."

"Oh, you mean me… well, that's nice of you to think of me, miss…" He paused, waiting, but she didn't supply a name, so he continued, "but I don't eat. It's all yours."

"You don't eat." She looked at him askance.

"That's right. I just needed water. This is for you."

She calmly took the fish, put it on a stick, and stuck the stick close to the fire.

"You're welcome…" He sat by the fire and warmed his stiff knee joints. The oil was starting to congeal.

She rose, took out her sword and began to go through a series of stances, then practiced sparring with an imaginary enemy. He watched her movements with admiration. He'd seen sword fights over the years, on tv, in movies, or in demonstrations, but never any with the strange mingling of grace and power that he saw her display. She glanced at him sidelong several times but carried on practicing.

"Your moves are impressive," he said, when she returned to the fire.

She checked the fish, then hooked a toe under his cast off sword and kicked it toward him. He caught it smoothly.

"Let's see your skills," she said, walking away. Something in her tone suggested she wasn't expecting much. In truth, neither was he.

He followed her and stood a short distance away with the drawn sword. He swished it a couple of times like he'd seen in the movies. She raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he muttered, uncomfortable under her stare. "I don't have much experience, alright?"

"I thought not."

He sighed sharply. "What is it with you? Why are you so stony? What are you trying to prove?"

"It is you who have something to prove."

"Me? Prove what?"

She swung at him, casually more than anything; easily parried. "Prove you're a man. Raise your sword and show me what you can do."

"Well," he chuckled. "I'll give it a shot, but where I come from, men usually take a different approach to proving their masculinity."

"I know the ways of men," she muttered, swinging once more. He parried again.

"I'll bet you do. Have you had a lot of experience?"

"More than I ever wanted."

He realized he was having a great time. He was almost certain they were talking about different things… at least, he really hoped they were. But the exchange was exhilarating. There was a glint in her eye now, where all day she had been silent and unresponsive. And he felt… how did he feel?

He reluctantly re-enabled Peter's module temporarily.

**_Bruce Willis mode online…_**

That was it! He laughed quietly.

"What?"

"Hm?"

"Why do you laugh?"

"It's a man thing. You wouldn't understand."

She attacked. He realized that while he had been having fun, she had been working steadily into a tiny ball of samurai rage. And all the sparring, all the light blows, were nothing to what she could do when riled. She knew about his injuries and exploited them. She knew he was much heavier and used that as well. Before he knew it, he was backed against a tree, his only remaining defense being his robotic strength, which would likely kill her if he used it. So he held up his hands instead.

**_Bruce Willis mode is now offline._**

_Disable mode change notifications._

"Uncle!" he cried, impressed. "I mean… you win. You're amazing! Really."

She had started to smirk again when her eyes widened. She was staring at his sword.

"Where…" she began. She blinked strangely.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded slightly, even as her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumpled. He plucked the sword hastily from her hand as she fell and set both aside before scooping her up and carrying her to the river.

He started flicking cool water onto her face.

"Wake up, come on…" he murmured. What had happened? Maybe she should have eaten before doing all that sword practice… She could have some chronic disorder! Maybe she was diabetic… It was going to be a long time before anyone would be seeing an endocrinologist…

Her eyes opened. She struggled in his arms. He eased her to the ground gently.

"What… you… I'm wet…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know how else to waken you."

She shivered. "You're cold!" he exclaimed. "We should get you back to the fire…"

He lifted her easily and started back toward the camp. She scrambled like an angry cat and jumped down onto her feet.

"I take myself about, monster!" she hissed.

He hastily held his hands up in a gesture of submission. "Of course… I only thought, since you weren't feeling well… Do you faint often?"

"Faint?" she cried indignantly. "When did I faint?"

"Just now. Over there." He pointed matter-of-factly at the two swords on the ground.

She looked, and reeled. He was ready this time, putting out his arms to steady her. She did not resist.

"The sword," she murmured. "It can't be…"

She didn't faint, but she wasn't quite there, either. He took the risk of lifting her once more and bringing her the rest of the way to the campfire, where he laid her on the bedroll she had spread earlier.

"Spine… who are you?" she asked weakly.

"I told you," he replied, worried. Was she sick? "I'm The Spine, I'm lost, I'm looking for my brothers. There's not much more than that. Do you think you can eat something? Maybe your blood sugar is just low…"

"No…" She clutched at his vest desperately. "Who are you? How do you have that sword, really?"

"The sword? This is about the sword?"

"Of course! Didn't you see it?"

Curious, he retrieved the two swords. She sat up and took both, turning them to show him the blade of each sword. On each was an identical mark.

"They're a set? Or they come from the same craftsman?"

"No…" she breathed. "They are the same sword!"

"What? That's not possible…" But, he realized, it was. Only the one he had picked up didn't look over five hundred years old. And it had been covered in blood. Fresh blood.

He was made of metal, but he still shivered.

"You are the one," she said.

"I am? Wait, what? Whoa there, little lady…"

"You were foretold, Spine. You will help us at last to be rid of the Beast!"

"I'll do what now?"

"The sword! It's the only possible explanation of the prophecy!"

"Prophecy?" He didn't feel like he was giving much to this conversation, but he wasn't getting much either.

"There is an old prophecy in my family… about the Beast. He is a monster, part demon, part man. He is evil. And he has sworn to wipe out my family because we slay his kind. We have been on the run from demons for generations, but he always finds us, and when he does, more perish.

"The last time, I was the only one to survive."

He looked at her, eyes wide. She stared into the flickering flames and blinked rapidly, but did not cry.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

She swallowed. "The prophecy tells of a warrior, an armored man, who would arrive with great strength, who would carry the sword of our family, and bring a mighty army. With this strength and power, we would be able to at last destroy the Beast." She laughed, mirthlessly. "It is easy to double the power of one warrior. We thought the prophecy was comforting then… She swore it would happen, and it has, but one warrior… that's not an army…"

He thought of Rabbit and Hatchworth, their strength added to his own, the flamethrower, the laser, the cannon, as well as his electrical power, against whatever this time period could muster. Little did she realize that he _did_ have an army with him… somewhere. He shook his head.

"I don't believe in prophecies."

She looked him in the eye at last. "And how does that make it untrue? Belief is for each of us to gain, but the gods do not require it. They will make true what they see fit whether you believe they can or not."

I was clear he wasn't going to get anywhere that way. "Alright… how about my fighting skills? You just destroyed my defense over there, without even trying. I don't exactly add to your strength."

"You do. You are strong, and I can teach you to use the sword."

"Just like that? Doesn't that kind of thing take years?"

"Well, we will try. Perhaps we have years before the Beast finds us."

Years? He would have gone pale if he could. Still, if he was stuck here, he'd better make the most of things. This Beast was most likely the latest in a line of aggressive warlords; he could probably handle him if it came to it.

"I was sort of hoping to get home before that."

"If I'm correct, you will never get home until you have completed your task."

"How d'ya figure?" he asked, scowling.

"The sword has magical properties. It was made to bring about the end of the Beast. It brought you here."

He snorted.

"It did! And perhaps it will return you when the blood of the Beast is shed."

"Maybe…" Or absolutely not. One or the other.

She was staring up at him. Perhaps it was the flickering firelight, but there was a look there now, a crack in the hardness of her shell. She looked almost pleading. Desperate. He was sure she'd never admit it, even though she'd admitted she was alone, and that her family had been murdered.

He sighed. Poor kid.

"Alright," he said. "I'll do my best."

She smiled at him for the first time since he'd met her. He felt dizzy.

**_warning… systems shut down imminent. Engage stasis. Repeat: system is going offline. Engage stasis to prevent full shut down._**

He sagged and caught himself. He hadn't really been in stasis for a couple of days…

"Spine?"

"I-I-I need to rest…" he faltered, shaking. "P-p-p-p… please forgive me, I must… s-s-s-s…"

"Here!" she cried. She eased him back the best she could, putting her pack under his head.

"D-d-don't n-need…"

"Shush. Rest. You are weary too."

"Thank y-y-y-y…"

**_systems shut down in five… four…_**

_Fine! _

He gave her hand a little squeeze and, with no time to wonder how her hand had ended up in his, engaged stasis.


	4. Chapter 4: Reunion

**_primary processor is still offline. Engaging backup processor. Good morning, The Spine._**

"Hello?" The sun was bright.

**_systems check in progress._**

He lay still and waited. The back-up processor took longer to perform the systems check and he held very still so as to avoid putting it under undue stress until it was done.

As he lay, staring up at the lightening sky, the rising sun shining across his vision, he realized that the girl was sitting beside him. She looked down at him and smiled. He thought her eyes looked red.

"Good morning," she said in her usual controlled manner. He fancied her tone at least was warmer.

"Are you alright now?" he asked.

"Much better. Thank you."

"I… I'm glad."

**_systems check completely. Impulse control is below maximum power. There is a slow leak in your left shoulder. Primary system is not responding. Seek maintenance as soon as possible._**

_Yes, mommy._ Impulse control, hm?

He sat up. She was eating what appeared to be a very hard piece of bread. She offered him a cup of water.

"Thanks," he said. "So… when do we reach this village?"

"The day after tomorrow. Maybe sooner if we leave soon. What troubles me is that we must pass through another village on our way. I must explain you to them or they may be afraid, and even attack us."

"Oh…" That sounded fairly unpleasant. "Do you have any ideas?"

"A few. Let's go."

"But…" He tried to put his thoughts into words but he was still having a hard time adapting to his backup system.

**_loading… loading…_**

_Abort. _He sighed and got carefully to his feet.

**_query abort…_**

"Oh…" she said, pausing. "Chiyo."

"Hm?"

"My name is Chiyo." She smiled, a small, nervous smile, and quickly turned away, striding away through the grass.

He grinned and followed.

They soon found a road and moved along it, ducking into the bushes if anyone came along. Around noon they neared the village. Chiyo stopped before they had come too close.

"Now, we must try to make you look suitable…"

"Priestess!" cried many high voices all at once. A crowd of children ran toward them.

"Oh, no…"

The children stopped short and stared at The Spine.

"Children! Fear not!" she cried hastily. "This man is a holy monk. His terrifying appearance is armor, and was a gift from a god for his holiness and goodness, that he may be protected as he seeks out and slays demons. He will not harm you."

The children didn't move.

He smiled. "Hello…"

They gasped as one.

"Try being… smaller," she murmured.

He was a head taller than Chiyo, who was much taller than the children. He decided she had a point and lowered himself to a crouch, one knee on the ground, and smiled again at the children.

A little girl toddled forward and patted his cheek. She giggled. With that, the others came forward and followed suit, giggling and murmuring as they touched his cool surface.

He laughed softly and looked up at Chiyo. She was smiling again… a different sort of smile than before. He couldn't put his finger on the difference…

The little girl put her arms around his neck. Others caught at his hands and tried to tug him forward.

"Slay the demon, monk!"

"A demon! We need your help."

"Monster!"

The Spine looked at Chiyo and gently tried to remove the little girl. She clung tighter.

"I thought we were further away," he said, carefully rising so that the little girl ended up perched on his right arm.

"We are! This is another village. Their demon must have arrived recently."

He raised his eyebrows, and she said, "Oh… could it be? But do your brothers resemble you? If so, then surely they will think you a demon as well… and the children seem to think not."

"They look different, but… strange. So it's possible. Do you have another plan just in case? That was clever, by the way, about the armor…"

She smiled and looked away quickly, just as before. He watched her as she turned to speak to the children. How long had she been alone? She seemed to be trying to warm up, but was having trouble. She must have been very lonely. He thought of Rabbit and Hatchworth and felt he could understand.

"Come," she said, turning to him once more. Her cheeks were still prettily pinked. He felt a strange tingle travel up his back. "We must speak to the adults about the demon."

They followed the children into town.

Fortunately, several children ran ahead and told the townspeople what Chiyo had told them, so they were greeted by curious stares instead of torches and pitchforks.

"Priestess!" cried an elderly man as they approached, "We heard that you had been summoned to destroy the demon that has been plaguing our neighbors, but we did not know you brought a holy monk as well…"

"He… um, has great strength… yes… how can we help you?" she faltered, apparently afraid to make any promises on his behalf.

"Two days ago a terrible demon took up residence in our shrine. We knew a lesser demon had been living there, but it did not worry us. However, it has summoned greater strength and we cannot chase them from the holy place so that we may make offerings…"

"What manner of demon is it?"

"Well…" The people looked at one another. "It is larger than the other… it ran through the village under cover of darkness, so all we could see were the flames and the terrible glowing eyes… since then it has been in the shrine. When we approach, it roars a terrible roar and fearful smoke pours through the doorway that we may not pass through!"

"Glowing eyes?" The Spine said at last, glad his were dimmed at the moment. It was daytime after all. "What color were these eyes?"

"I didn't know it mattered…" the elder said, looking rather at a loss.

"Blue! They were blue!" cried an old woman.

_That could be either one…_

"Green!" cried a man.

"I saw both!" a boy added.

"And there were three of them!"

"That's right!" the boy went on. "It was running right at me and I saw two blue eyes and one green!"

_Rabbit._

"Did he… did it hurt anyone?"

They all looked at one another in turn. "Well, no…" said the elder. "It ran through the town. It… seemed…"

"Scared," said the little girl Spine still carried. A woman stepped forward and scooped her out of his arms, smiling and bowing as she went.

"Nonsense, small one," said the elder.

"He was cryin'. I thaw him."

"That was its terrible war cry, dear. You are fortunate you were not in its path."

"I fink he was scared. He had owwies. Someone be'd mean ta him."

The woman apologized and bowed and smiled the child away for a nap. The little girl waved at The Spine as she was carted home. He waved back. Smart little girl, he thought. Poor Rabbit. He hoped the damage wasn't too severe.

"Ahem… well… let's see this shrine. We have to be moving on quickly, but we will aid you before we leave," said Chiyo.

There was much bowing and thanking as the crowd turned and led them toward a path just beyond the last hut. Chiyo whispered, as the crowd walked ahead, "What do you think of their story?"

"I think they're talking about my older brother."

"Your brother has three eyes and breathes fire?"

"Well… sort of…" he said helplessly.

"And yet he would run through a tiny village crying like a child and hide in a shrine?"

"Sure, it sounds pathetic when you put it that way…" he muttered irritably. "Look, she said he was damaged. He may have been attacked. Maybe he had no choice but to run!"

"But surely he can defend himself with his fire!"

"Only if he didn't have a problem with hurting these people," he said curtly.

She nodded. After a moment, she said, "He sounds like a kind man."

He smiled a little. "He's impossible. But, yes… he wouldn't hurt a fly unless it was trying to land on his ice cream."

"His ice… cream?"

"I mean… his rice and beans." No, that just sounded stupid. "Never mind. He is surprisingly gentle, considering his strength."

"Is he as strong as you?"

"Not physically," he said honestly. "But in his heart, he's much stronger."

"Older brother," she sighed. "He reminds me of my own…"

He said nothing. By her description, her brother must have been slaughtered, perhaps recently. He had no idea how to respond to that.

"We must save yours," she said firmly. "Let's catch up to the villagers."

They approached the little shrine side by side as the villagers watched from a safe distance.

"If it's him, he will surely recognize you," she said. "Unless his head has been injured. If I approach, he will surely react as he has in the past. If it _is_ a demon, however… " She shook her head slightly. "This is difficult. Do you think he would go so far as to breathe fire to keep me away?"

"I don't think so, but if he's that scared… Look, I know I don't have your skills with the sword but I can take care of myself my own way. I'm no stranger to war, believe it or not. If it is a demon," and he didn't believe it for a millisecond, "I'm sure I can survive long enough for you to fight it. Let me go in and see, maybe speak to him."

"Very well. I will trust in your strength in this. I hope it is your brother."

His boiler gave a sudden burst of extra steam and he struggled to release it inconspicuously as the villagers watched. She certainly did seem to be warming up to him.

He turned after exchanging one brief smile, carefully exhaled another thick burst of steam bit by bit into the air, and walked toward the shrine.

He was halfway up the path when a fearsome, grating, shrieking roar struck his ears. There was a small explosion; villagers screamed as smoked poured from the doorway of the shrine.

"Zuuul…" a very deep voice intoned, removing all doubt about who was inside.

The Spine held his joy in check. He had expected to be happy to find Rabbit but the feeling was so strong he could almost weep. He hadn't realized just how lonely he'd been without his brothers.

"Rabbit!" he said softly, creeping forward. Silence.

He lifted the cloth that covered the doorway.

"There is no Dana, there is only Zuuul! Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" the voice came again, speaking German in the most fearful Wagnerian tones imaginable.

"Rabbit! It's me! Why are you speaking German?"

He stepped through the doorway. With a shrill cry, a squirrel launched itself from the beams above and fastened itself to his leg.

"What?"

The creature began to gnaw his trouser leg and then attempted to bite into his leg proper. Its teeth struck metal and it darted away, chittering furiously.

Bemused, he let the cloth fall over the doorway and triggered his night vision in the darkness of the shrine.

"Spine!" cried Rabbit, exploding from under a pile of leaves and throwing himself into his brother's arms. "Spine, it's you! I thought… I thought n-n-n-one of you would ever find me… there was no way… I don't even know where I am!"

"It's okay, Rabbit…" The Spine began.

"I thought they were b-back!" Rabbit interrupted. "I thought they were g-g-g-gonna attack again and this time… this time there wouldn't be anything left to f-f-f-f-f-find…"

His voice was trembling and he began to sob into his brother's vest. The Spine carefully steadied him and gave him a minute to calm down, holding back his alarm. The little girl had been right. This was a Humble Rabbit. a Sad Rabbit, a Melancholy Rabbit, a Small and Sorry Rabbit, an Oh-Spine-I-am-glad-to-see-you Rabbit…

He didn't like it one bit.

"Rabbit," he murmured. "Come on, you saw how much action in how many wars? Pull it together, big brother!"

Rabbit gripped the back of The Spine's vest in both hands, as if afraid to let go. The Spine pushed him back to look at him and gasped.

"Rabbit? What happened to you?"

His copper faceplate was dented in several places, and below one eye, almost all the way to the socket, was a deep cut in the metal. Steam seeped from it periodically. The Spine touched it gently. Did he land on his face?

"Spine! Spine, it was horrible! I-I-I was p-p-pulled into tha dark… an' I fell for a long time. I thought I was gonna hit the ground sometime and turn into a b-b-big penny…" He tried to laugh but his throat closed off before it got far.

"So… so I hit a tree and that slowed me down a little, but I kept goin' and fell right through someone's house. And when I got up there's this lil Japanese family starin' at me, and they start screamin'. So I run away and luckily I f-f-find my hat an' goggles on the porch outside, guess they blew off before I went through the roof. An by then the whole t-t-t-t-town is runnin' around between me an' the woods, so I had to run right through 'em. They were hittin' me with farm tools. I think this big cut c-c-c-came from some kind of scythe."

"Ye gods…" The Spine murmured, horrified. He pulled Rabbit into a hug.

"Thanks," said Rabbit, muffled, giving him a firm squeeze. "You don't usually offer hugs… I guess you've been k-k-kinda scared too…?"

"Kinda." Very, he realized. "Alright," said The Spine. "How do we get you out of here?"

He looked around but there was no other way out. There was a place in the back where the boards had been loosened… maybe they could make a hole there big enough for a robot to slip through. He turned to Rabbit.

"I think we should stage a battle…" he began, but noticed Rabbit was talking to the squirrel as it perched on his shoulder.

"Rabbit?"

The squirrel looked up and shook its little fist. The Spine stared. His backup processor was messing with him…

Rabbit giggled. "She doesn't trust you."

"She?" Might as well play along. "Well, I don't trust her. She bit me."

Rabbit looked at him, eyebrows raised. "W-w-wait… are you talkin'?"

"What? Yeah, I've been talking this whole time!"

The squirrel chattered and Rabbit nodded. "Thanks, Pinky. Yeah, I can't hear you, buddy."

"What? You can hear her but not me? And since when do you speak squirrel?"

Chittering. "Oh, yeah. My ears are messed up. Too many blows to the head. I can hear high-frequency sounds but not baritones, big guy. And she speaks Japanese… just really fast."

Ah. He'd forgotten to turn off Japanese mode… no wonder she could convey his messages to Rabbit.

Wait… what? He thumped himself in the head. Rabbit was talking to a squirrel! Of course, in those terms, it almost made sense…

As for Rabbit's hearing, when he thought it over, he realized Rabbit hadn't really responded to his words so far. And his voice did sound strangely high when he wasn't trying to sound like Gozer; it was as though it was trying to speak in a register he could actually hear.

He peered out the curtains and saw that everyone was still hanging back. Still, he felt the need for haste.

He turned Rabbit around unceremoniously and opened his cranial panel, studying the connections. There it was! A very small wire was loose. With his pinky, he gently pressed down on the tiny plug and heard a small, satisfying click as it reengaged in the socket.

"Whoa!" Rabbit crooned, slipping down into his familiar range. "Happy birthday! Thanks, little brother!"

"No problem," he replied and Rabbit held up a thumbs up as his brother snapped the panel shut once more.

"Where's your hat?"

"Hm? Oh, right over here. An' I have a little present for ya."

"What, acorns?"

Rabbit reached behind the altar and held up The Spine's fedora.

"Oh…" he breathed. He accepted it reverently. "Thank you."

"Pinky was usin' it to store nuts. I told her you used it the same way."

"What? Rabbit… you seriously talk to the squirrel?"

"She's no ordinary squirrel, Spine."

"Because she's your friend. Right. Look, we need to get you out of here soon. I figure if we stage a fight we can break open that wall in the melee. Then I'll tell everyone I banished you…"

"You an' what army?"

"Shut up. Then you slip out the back."

"Alright! Pinky will help, won'tcha, baby?"

"The squirrel is gonna help," The Spine responded flatly.

"I keep tellin' ya, Spine…"

"Right, she's no ordinary squirrel. But if she gets in the way she could get hurt. She'll most likely scurry up into the rafters once we get going anyway."

Pinky scrambled down Rabbit and glared up at The Spine for a moment. Then, in a puff of smoke, she turned into a little girl in a squirrel outfit.

"What." He stared down at her. "Rabbit… what."

**_belief system challenged. Find a toehold to prevent catastrophic system failure._**

_That's taking it a bit far, isn't it?_

"She's no ordinary squirrel," said Rabbit with a smirk.

"But…" _Need a toehold!_

"But what?"

The Spine opened and closed his mouth twice.

**_vocal diagnostic initializing…_**

_Abort!_

**_vocal diagnostic abort._**

"Whaddya mean, 'But what?'" cried The Spine, mimicking Rabbit's voice. "But everything! How?"

Rabbit leaned in close. "She's a demon! Not like, y'know, 'sign in blood an' I'll make ya famous' but like… yokai."

"Th-that's a myth, Rabbit!" There, that was a toehold. A high-pitched whine had begun somewhere in the back-up processor. It promptly stopped.

Rabbit folded his arms. "Aw, you don't believe in anything!"

"I believe in a lot of real things, Rabbit. I believe I have a head injury and none of this is happening. I don't believe in fairy tale transforming squirrels!"

"But look at her? Ain't she adorable? It's like Magical Girl Anime!"

"Rabbit…"

He puckered his lips and cooed, "Lookit her lil poofy skirt…"

"They're gonna come in here and kill us both, you realize."

"What?" Rabbit froze like his namesake, hands pulled up in front of him, eyes wide with terror. His voice rose to a squeak. "Spine… are they really?"

**_Guilt mode activated. I'm betting this has something to do with Rabbit. Nice going._**

_Seriously, Carolina?_

"No," he told Rabbit, "but they're gonna get suspicious. I was supposed to come in and slay the demon…"

Pinky transformed with a poof and scurried up onto Rabbit's head.

"Not _really!_ Look, they think I'm a monk, alright? They think I go around killing demons and I came in because I knew it was you! So will both of you just pull it together?" He clenched his fists angrily. "We don't have time for this and you just keep… Argh!"

"Spine?"

"I'm just so ticked off right now, you have no idea!"

"You okay?" asked Rabbit meekly, eyes wide.

"No! My shoulder is killing me, my head hurts, my primary processor is offline and there's a beautiful girl out there trying to keep a bunch of peasants happy while I deal with you and Princess Tutu! Can we please for the love of Pete just get on with this?"

"Alright, alright… I didn't know a girl was involved. That explains a lot…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he grumped.

"And holy crap, yer primary processor? Yer runnin' on b-b-b-backup?"

The Spine sighed. "Yeah. Can you check it out when we get time?"

"Sure thing, buddy. Alright… here comes one Chuck Norris battle. Make it good. Pinky, you know what to do."

The Spine rolled his eyes as the creature transformed once more and settled in on Rabbit's shoulders. He didn't believe it. It just wasn't happening.

Rabbit opened his mouth and let out a roar that mingled his deepest bass notes with a hiss of steam and static feedback. Pinky clapped her hands over her ears.

"What the crap, Rabbit…" The Spine murmured. No wonder the villagers were afraid to come near. Alright. "Leave this place, demon!" he bellowed.

Rabbit roared more and gnashed his teeth, stopping for a muffled giggle. As his roar trailed off, Pinky threw something at the doorway and a cloud of smoke billowed forth.

Ah. A lot of things were making sense. The Spine ran at the back wall and gave the loose boards a careful kick; he didn't want to trash the entire shrine.

"Take that, beast!"

Rabbit roared and kicked the boards twice. A chunk of wood flew into the bushes.

Just a little more. The Spine let out a battle cry and punched the boards a few times. Splinters flew and Pinky scurried behind Rabbit.

"I think I can squeeze through now, Spine…" Rabbit whispered.

"Right. Meet me in the woods out back. Don't show yourself until you hear me call you."

He drew the sword and backed out the door way. Holding the weapon in his left hand, he cried, "Now go back from whence you came!"

_Initialize electrical pulse._

**_warning: engaging electrical pulse will cause pain response in vulnerable areas. Make sure all parts are in good repair before proceeding._**

_Aw, crap_. He needed a big finish. All his other weapons were in a box in San Diego in 2013. He clenched his teeth, braced himself for the pain, and released the electricity.

Lightning arced along his left arm, spiraled around the sword, and blasted through the open doorway, blowing the cloth covering clean away.

And Pappy hadn't been kidding. The pain was excruciating. He screamed but hoped it sounded like some kind of tough battle cry. The scream cut short as the pain radiated to his head.

There was one last puff of smoke courtesy of Pinky. The Spine switched off the power and turned, trembling, struggling to keep his feet, even as Chiyo ran to him, her eyes wide with alarm.

"Was it not him?" she whispered quickly.

"In a moment…" he gasped as the pain began to fade. He rubbed his shoulder and his hand came away covered in hydraulic fluid. The sword slipped from his hand; he couldn't grip it.

"You're bleeding!"

"I'm alright. We need to get away from here." He wiped his hand nonchalantly on his dark trousers and called, "The beast is vanquished! You may return to your homes. Come here tomorrow and repair your shrine and leave offerings. We must move on for we are needed. Farewell."

There were murmurs of thank from the frightened villagers as they turned, almost as one, and bolted for home. The Spine picked up the sword in his right hand and sheathed it as he turned toward the shrine.

"How did you do that? What other secrets do you hide?"

"What? Oh, not many… There's not much to me, really."

"But… you can command lightning!"

"Well, yes and no. Look, we have to hurry. I sent my brother into the woods to wait for us. He's probably very frightened. I guess he had a run-in with a bolder set of villagers. They beat him pretty badly before he escaped."

"That's dreadful…!" she cried, jogging alongside as he strode past the building. "But how wonderful that you found him!"

He looked at her in surprise. He hadn't seen her this happy. "You _mean_ that…"

"Of course!"

He smiled. "It _is_ wonderful… I hope we can find our other brother soon."

"As do I."

They were behind the shrine now. "Rabbit?"

"Spine?" came the plaintive response. Rabbit crept from under an overhanging tree root, Pinky on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Rabbit. Come on out." He held out his hand.

Rabbit sat back a little and looked up suspiciously. "Who's she?"

"This is Chiyo. She won't hurt you."

"She's armed…"

"I know. Look, just trust me, alright?"

"Well… alright…"

Rabbit accepted The Spine's hand and stood. In full daylight, Rabbit's injuries were even more shocking. Along with his dents and the crack in his face, there was a gouge in the metal rings of his neck and a piece missing from his left ear, and a long tear down the front of his vest as well as the hem of his trousers. The glass was shattered on one side of his goggles. That explained the three eyes.

"Hello," Chiyo said gently. "I did not mean to frighten you."

Rabbit looked down at her, his face haunted by memories of fear and pain. She reached out slowly, as though trying to befriend a wild creature, and gently touched his dented face.

"Poor thing…"

Rabbit blinked out of sync.

"Rabbit?" said The Spine.

The copper robot closed his eyes and turned away. "Let's g-g-get away from this place," he muttered. Then I can take a look at your head. And yer shoulder…"

"Oh!" cried Chiyo. "His shoulder is bleeding."

Rabbit looked up sharply. "What?"

"Hydraulic fluid. I'm okay… I just can't grip anything."

"Well… but… ya dummins!" cried Rabbit. "C'mon! We can't do it here but let's hurry up and find a place where we can get ya f-f-fixed up!"


	5. Chapter 5: Quiet for a Change

They stopped a little before dusk so that there was still light to work by, and took turns making repairs while Chiyo set up camp and Pinky foraged in the trees. Rabbit found the leaks in The Spine's shoulder and managed to fit extra bits of tubing inside the leaking tubes so that flow was restored, though the arm remained a bit weak. Rabbit's laser eye, used carefully, became a welder where required.

The loose connection in The Spine's head, however, proved more worrying. "Spine!" he groaned as he examined the damage. "It ain't just unplugged! It's snapped clean through! I can't mess around this close to your motherboard! This needs a repair tech and assistants and a lab and a danged arc welder and f-f-full shutdown…"

"Rabbit… is it really that bad?"

"There ain't even enough wire to twist the ends together and pray! You must've hit pretty hard when you landed."

"I landed twice. Once in a tree and once when I fell from the tree to the ground. On my back."

"Ouch! No wonder… Spine… I'm… I'm sorry… I can't do anything."

"I still have backup…"

"I've been on backup. It's a mess. No Walter ever had the patience to bring the backup up to specs and you know it! They always figure they'll be around forever to make repairs…"

He stood and kicked the log he'd been sitting on. It flew deep into the woods.

The Spine reached up to shut his head plate. Rabbit sighed and did it for him.

Chiyo stared at them both. The Spine had done his best to prepare her for what was going to happen. He was surprised at how calmly she took it.

"Can your brother not heal you?" she asked slowly.

"My headache is gone, but… well, I'll be alright. Don't worry."

"I wasn't worried," she murmured, suddenly very interested in tending the fire.

Rabbit looked at The Spine and raised his eyebrow plates. The Spine was puzzled.

"What?" he mouthed.

Rabbit shook his head. "I'm gonna go find Pinky." He strolled away.

"Don't go far!"

"I won't," Rabbit called without turning around.

"He's worried about you," said Chiyo.

"I guess so. Funny, I'm usually the one doing all the worrying."

"But now you're ill. And he is your older brother."

He hesitated. "Your brother… worried about you?"

"He saved my life. Gave me the sword and hid me, and defended my hiding place with his life. When the Beast was gone, I buried as many of them as I could, packed my things, and left."

"And you've been alone ever since?"

"I've had to be. Anyone associated with me is in danger."

"Yet you let me travel with you."

"I suspect the Beast would not find you so easy to destroy."

"Maybe not."

"It has been… nice… not to be alone. For a little while."

"Just for a little while? Suppose we do destroy this Beast? Then you can find yourself a home somewhere, right?"

"I will probably continue to travel. But yes, I won't have to travel alone." She chuckled.

He blinked in surprise. "What is it?" he asked, a little smile twitching at his lips.

"If my brother could see me today… traveling with two golems and a yokai. He always did like to laugh."

Golems? Hm, well, if she'd found a way to understand, that would do.

The fire crackled as she poked it unnecessarily with a long stick. She looked up and saw him watching her. The rays of sunset lit her cheeks with deepening pink as she hastily looked away.

At least, he _thought_ it was the sunset.

He felt strange. He wasn't a child; he had long experience with women. He had fallen in love before, or thought he had. He had felt affection for a woman, at least. And he couldn't avoid the realization that something like it had begun here.

And yet, all his past experience didn't seem to come anywhere near the feeling surging through him now as he looked at the brave, quiet soul poking the fire. He supposed it was the fault of the backup system. Rabbit was right; it was just like Peter to assume he'd always be around to make repairs.

He tried immersing himself in practical thoughts, plans for the next day, theories as to how they could get home, hoping it would be enough to keep his restlessness at bay as he waited for Rabbit and Pinky to return. But his eyes kept straying back to her.

She looked up again. This time she didn't look away.

**_impulse control below halfway mark. Seek maintenance to prevent impulse control failure._**

He dismissed the warning as they looked at each other. Several heartbeats passed.

She was beautiful. He hadn't realized how much…

"Spine… what is it?" she murmured.

"Chiyo…" he said softly. Her eyes widened and her cheeks were definitely not pink from the sunset.

He start to rise, to go to her.

"Found her," said Rabbit brightly, strolling between them with Pinky on his head. The Spine remained seated as a long plume of steam poured from his mouth like a deep sigh.

That had been close. What had he been about to do? Why was he sweating? _How_ was he sweating? Oh… that was condensation…

"We'll reach the village tomorrow," said Chiyo quickly. "You both should rest. We should set a watch. I will wake Rabbit at midnight."

The Spine opened his mouth to protest who should take the first watch, or even the second, and was met with a stern glare from Rabbit. The Spine's mouth snapped shut. He had the feeling Rabbit was ready for any argument. That was a change.

Maybe it was just as well. His joints still trembled when he walked and every now and then the forest would spin around for no good reason. He laid down on the ground and put his hands behind his head. From here, he could see the darkening blue sky, and if he tilted his head just a little, he could see Chiyo, upright, sword across her legs, watching for trouble.

"Stasis, little brother," Rabbit ordered, settling against a tree trunk. "I may be beat up on the outside, but yer all messed up inside. N-n-nothin' new there."

"Hey!" he grumped, twisting his neck to look at his brother.

"Sleep!"

"It isn't even dark yet," said The Spine, bemused, as he settled onto his back again and gazed up at the dim but still rosy sky. He remembered any number of Walter children making the same objection over the years.

"Go into stasis, or I shut ya off."

"Alright, alright…"

He stole one last look at Chiyo and triggered stasis mode.

It was black except for the flickering fire. Someone was shaking him. He could hear the sound of crying. Who was it?

"Wake up, dummins!"

That answered that question.

"Chiyo?" The Spine asked.

He heard a creak as Rabbit nodded. "She woke me up over an hour ago and w-w-went ta sleep. Next thing I know, she's cryin'!"

"He's coming!" she cried, and sat up suddenly. Her sword was in her hand the next second. She looked at them with wild eyes, breathing fast.

"A… dream…" she sighed. She put down the sword and put her hands over her face.

The Spine started to rise, looked at Rabbit, looked at Chiyo, looked at Rabbit again… Irritated at his own indecision, he got up and walked to her.

"I think I'll watch over _here_…" Rabbit muttered. He walked away.

Right. The Spine sat beside her.

"Are you alright?"

She rubbed one arm roughly across her eyes. "I will be…"

"Y'know, I understand… I've been to war… I still dream about it, too."

"Have you lost a brother to it? Your father? Your whole family?" Her voice broke.

"No… I have lost my father and mother and two of my brothers, and other family members over the years… but not through violence."

"But… then you have suffered. How do you bear it?"

How could he answer this? He just bore it. It was what he did. He was The Spine. But if he'd been the only one left, would it have been bearable?

Of course!

"Not alone," he explained, looking at her steadily. "I bear it with help."

He opened his arms hesitantly, afraid she would be offended. She looked up at him and nodded even as her lip once more began to tremble with ragged sobs. He put his arms around her and held her.

When at last she had grown calm, he murmured, "I don't know what's ahead. But while we're with you, you don't have to just survive. Understand? We're here."

"Thank you," she said quietly, looking up at him. "While you are here, I will live."

"Good," he replied.

They sat in silence. He felt that peculiar feeling creeping over him once more. She was so close… he could smell her hair… How could it smell like flowers if she'd been on the road for days on end? He lifted his hand to touch it and forced himself to lean away. "Do you think you can sleep?"

She nodded and crept back to her bedroll. He felt and fought a rising urge to not let go. He went reluctantly back to his own blanket.

This backup system is hopeless, he thought. Why doesn't Peter work the bugs out before installing these things? There was a moment when I wanted so badly to… _it was just like yesterday… Well, she would have cut my head off, anyway._

On the other side of the campfire, Rabbit looked out at the dark valley below and nodded to himself with a sigh.


	6. Chapter 6: The Demon Slayer

Chiyo was restless as they approached the village. She had been muttering all morning about how she was going to explain two golems, especially when one was full of cuts and dents. Rabbit, tickling Pinky's chin as she clung, squirrel-form, to his arm, said not to do him any favors.

The Spine just sighed. He could understand why Rabbit was tense, but why did he have to keep picking at her?

As before, they were greeted with a cluster of children before they had time to come up with a plan.

_Why does it always have to be kids? They always freak out when they see me._

But these children were not frightened. They cried out in delight at the sight of the two robots. One ran toward the village ahead of them, crying, "His brothers have come!"

This could only mean one thing. "Hatchy!" cried The Spine and Rabbit together.

"Jinx!" said Rabbit.

"Grow up…"

"Oh, now you owe me a…"

"What about the demon?" interrupted Chiyo.

"She is slain, priestess!" an older boy cried happily. "The Golden Warrior has destroyed her!"

"Golden! It _is_ him!" cried The Spine joyfully. "Come on, let's get into town!"

"Sounds like the villagers like him. The other villagers thought you were a monk. Why'd I hafta get the town with the crazy people?" He sighed. "Well, I guess if it was me or him, I'd rather take the beating…"

The Spine smiled sadly. Rabbit could be pretty selfish when it came to petty things, in sharp contrast to his courage about bigger matters. He wouldn't share his ice cream, but in war, Rabbit was the first one to throw himself onto a live grenade, and he still showed the damage sometimes from it. In fact, the whole family had heard the stories, and no one even asked to share his ice cream. He deserved it.

"Well, then?" The Spine said. "Let's go see if he's in one piece."

They followed the children into town, where they were met with a procession. At the center, wearing a kimono, wooden shoes, and a bowler hat, walked Hatchworth. Rabbit let out a little scream of laughter and clamped his jaws shut hastily. The Spine sympathized.

Hatchworth wasn't wearing any pants.

"Rabbit! The Spine! I see you have met my new friends!" Hatchworth crowed. "Do you know, they have never even heard of sandwiches?"

They were taken immediately in hand by the lively villagers, who saw to it that each was cleaned and dressed in gifts of new clothing. The Spine used Rabbit's forehead plate as a makeshift mirror as he smoothed his wig into place. It was anchored, but it could get unruly.

They were hurried to a large house at the end of town, where tables, cushions, and mats were arranged around a feast in their honor.

"We're gonna hafta eat, aren't we?" Rabbit muttered.

"You can't tell me you aren't looking forward to it."

"I never could manage chopsticks. They roll…"

"Use your fingers…" The Spine began. Chiyo, cleaned, scented with cherry blossoms, and dressed in a pink kimono, had just arrived. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"You look beautiful," he murmured. She turned his way, smiling, and gasped.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worried.

"You look very nice in that kimono," she faltered, looking away.

"You like it? It was the only one that was long enough..."

"It looks as though it was made for you," she said, dabbing her nose with a cloth.

As did hers. It wrapped around her figure just so…

**_warning, electrical systems firing random pulses… discontinue stimulus…_**

The Spine tried to tear his gaze away unsuccessfully. He heard a crackling noise.

"Hey, Spine," said Rabbit, putting a hand on his shoulder. There was a grating zap and Rabbit snatched his hand away, swearing loudly in German. Chiyo squeaked in alarm.

The Spine looked at him, surprised. "Why do you keep speaking German?"

"Ow… oh, they have some great swears and they make everything sound scarier."

_Oh…_

An hour later, they sat and watched the villagers finish their meals. They were repeatedly coaxed to take more themselves, but each was thinking the same thing… it's going to be messy enough cleaning up what's already been eaten.

"I feel like I'm in tha E-E-Emerald City!" Rabbit muttered to The Spine as yet another child brought them rice paper flowers.

The Spine leaned away from Chiyo, who was sitting on his right, and whispered with a chuckle, "I don't think the Beast is going to fly overhead on a broomstick and sky-write, 'Surrender, Dorothy.'"

"The who, now?"

Oops… The Spine realized they had been so busy with repairs that they had never actually brought Rabbit up to speed about the so-called prophecy and what Chiyo wanted him to do.

"It's a long story… I'll explain later. Right now," he continued, speaking louder so that all could hear, "I want to hear Hatchworth explain how he ended up as the hero of an entire village."

"Yeah," Rabbit said, turning to Hatchworth, who had a special place in the center of the room. "How is it y-y-you ended up in such a cushy spot?" The villagers giggled faintly.

"I will gladly tell all that I know, my brothers. The Spine pulled me into the dark…"

"I told you to let go!" cried The Spine. He looked around sheepishly. He'd felt terrible about dragging Hatchworth along, however unintentional it was.

But Hatchworth clearly didn't blame him in the least. "Do not confuse me, Spine. I was falling. I did not see the Spine any longer so I did not know what might become of me. I opened my hatch to help me see because it was so very dark, and before I knew it, a big bug flew over to see the light. Then zap! My cannon just up and shot it through the head. I guess it thought the bug was a threat for some reason. Then it fell and I fell and it hit the ground and I hit the bug. I went right through its head. It was a terrible thing, but it could not be helped. I suppose it was good luck for me, or I would look like one of you two."

"Hey!" cried Rabbit..

"When I got up, all these fine people had gathered around me. I was just about to apologize for killing their pet when they all began to thank me for saving their village. A funny reaction, but I was glad they had found a way to work through their loss.

"They gave me clean clothing and I told them all about you two, but no one had seen you. I was worried, and I see I had good reason. You have become endangered without me. You two should be more careful."

There was a double hiss of steam as Rabbit and The Spine simultaneously curbed angry responses. Several of the villagers leaned away.

"You are safe now. I offer you the protection of my village."

"Your village? You accidentally go into bug-zapper m-m-mode and now you got yer own village?" Rabbit hissed.

"I am a very lucky robot."

The Spine shook his head. If Chiyo was really being pursued, even by a man, she wouldn't want to stay in one place for long. He turned to her. She was just turning from him to Hatchworth. Her cheeks were pink.

"Is it too warm for you?" he asked, concerned.

"No, I am comfortable," she murmured, loosening her robes a little at the neck.

"You don't _look_ comfortable, but have it your way. So, what do we do now? I don't suppose you want to stay long, but we really aren't ready to fight The Beast yet."

"There's that n-n-name again," said Rabbit right next to his left ear. The Spine jumped.

"Whoa! You nevah used ta be this tetchy… well, it was hard ta catch ya off-guard, anyway."

"Perhaps we should stay here for a few days to train," said Chiyo, looking down at her rice.

"Good. Hey, Rabbit, how would you like to learn the way of the Samurai?"

Rabbit's eye luminosity increased until several villagers gasped and shaded their own eyes against it.

"Would I?" he squeaked.

"Turn down the high beams, Usagi-san!" cried The Spine.

"Sorry…" His eyes dimmed to a comfortable level. "Usagi-san? We're all speaking Japanese… how did you…"

"It grows late," said Hatchworth.


	7. Chapter 7: In the Village

Rabbit and The Spine shared a hut, and Chiyo was given a small one of her own. Apparently quite a few were empty from the time that the demon had held sway.

They ended up staying longer than expected. The village was nice, the weather pleasant. They soaked in a hot spring to remove any embedded soil, and found that hot springs felt fantastic to steam driven robots. The village had several master craftsmen who were able to help smooth some of Rabbit's dents, though the gouge under his eye remained. Rabbit and The Spine agreed that the simple people here had accepted enough mysteries; removing a face plate might just be the last straw.

They trained daily in the gentle sunshine and even Rabbit, with his slower response time, made up for it with enthusiasm and grew rapidly in skill. Hatchworth tried but could not master the sword, or even holding a sword. He tended to hold it like a bread knife and could not seem to grasp any other stance. It was decided that his cannon would be defense enough.

When they weren't training, they helped around the village. There was still quite a bit of bug-demon to cut up and burn, and the robots were an enormous aid to the effort. Chiyo spent most of her spare time training on her own or honing her arsenal. Still, the evening brought the whole village together for food and music as they continued to celebrate their liberation. Chiyo never failed to appear, dressed in the soft pink kimono she had received when she arrived.

Her mood had improved much. The only anger she showed was at Rabbit, when he lost his balance and stepped on the sheath of her katana, cracking it lengthwise. She had quickly forgiven, however, especially when he and The Spine brought her a new sheath made by a craftsman in town. The Spine had recognized it right away as the design of the one he carried; how unexpected that he and Rabbit should be the ones to select it!

The feeling that had been creeping over the Spine on their journey had not subsided. The look on her face when she received the sheath brought it home to him, but he had noticed it during training. There was an edge to their sparring, a shyness to their conversation, and feeling of tingling tension when they sat at meals side by side. It sometimes made him feel weak. It confused him. He couldn't seem to stop it.

He couldn't convince himself to even try.

They took to walking slowly home after the evening meal, whether Rabbit was with them or not. Sometimes they gave him the slip on purpose. He found them more often than not and made light, playful conversation all the way home, leaning on railings or posts, lingering until the conversation trailed off and the Spine or Chiyo gave up and went to bed.

One evening he had gone back early because his ear was loose again; this time, he reported, everything was louder. The Spine had offered to fix it but he had just wanted to get away from the noise.

The Spine once again walked Chiyo home. He wanted this walk to be special… the one time they knew where Rabbit was. He had wanted to say things to her for several days and hadn't had the time or courage. He didn't know whether he really had the right to speak, but he didn't care. Maybe it was just a processor fault instead of romance. He didn't care about that either. He just couldn't go on without telling her.

Rabbit peered out of the blinds. They should be home soon, he thought.

His ear _was_ bothering him a little, but something else was bothering him more. He needed to give them the chance to prove him wrong. It was a slightly cool night, the moon was high and full, there was a soft breeze scented with flowers. If nothing happened tonight, he figured he wouldn't have to worry about The Spine getting his heart broken.

Why did the dummins always get himself into these situations? So sensible all the time, then along comes a pair of big brown eyes and splat! Robut all over the walls. Of course, it could just be that backup processor, but that could still cause problems.

There they were! He kept out of sight as they sat on the porch.

"Chiyo…"

"Yes, Spine?"

Silence.

"Is something wrong?"

"I don't know… I've been feeling strangely."

"Are you ill? We should ask Rabbit…"

"No, it isn't that…"

_In your opinion…_

"I… I've been feeling… feelings for you…"

"For me? Of what nature?"

"What? Well… you know…"

"Oh…" she said faintly.

_It's like he's in high school._

"I think I understand," she murmured.

_What._

"You do?" The Spine said huskily, leaning closer to her.

"Yes. I've felt it, too…"

"Chiyo…"

_I'm gonna throw up._ He peered out once more._ Oopsy!_

The Spine was very close to Chiyo now. She tilted her head up to his. Steam curled from his lips. Her eyes closed.

"Argh!" Rabbit cried in the most heart-breaking groan he could muster. "My ears! P-p-please bring me sweet relief, somebody! A sledgehammer! Anything!"

He peered out the blinds and saw The Spine shudder from head to toe as he turned from Chiyo's waiting lips.

Rabbit fist-pumped. Yes! It didn't give him joy, exactly, but it was for his little brother's own good. As The Spine rose, helping Chiyo to her feet, Rabbit hastily jammed his pinky into his ear and jiggled it until he heard a pop and static. He peered out once more.

They were hugging! Rabbit swore softly. He couldn't hear them anymore but he could see enough… His hand was stroking her back and hers was… He gasped. Her hand was on his butt! Ugh! Danged warrior women!

"Spine! Are you back yet?" he wailed. If this went on, that kiss could still become a reality. And everyone in Walter Manor knew that The Spine was a sucker for moonlight smoochies from fleshy girls. There had been… incidents.

Rabbit shuddered. Fleshies were so gross! He loved his brother, but it had taken everything he had in him to accept his robosexuality. And it still made him want to barf up his boiler water. Ordinarily, though, he would have let The Spine live his life, but this was different.

The Spine stroked her cheek as he walked away. She left with her hand pressed to her face where he had touched it.

Rabbit pointed at his ear pitifully when The Spine entered the hut. The Spine nodded and set to work. A few minutes later, Rabbit's hearing snapped back online.

"Better?" asked The Spine.

"Aw, yer a lifesaver, buddy! Thanks!"

"Oh, no, I think we'd better make sure," The Spine murmured.

"What?"

"CAN YOU HEAR THIS?" he bellowed directly into Rabbit's ear.

"ARGH! Stop that!"

The Spine slammed Rabbit's head plate shut with the force of a Louisville slugger. "What is your problem?" he said angrily.

"What's yours? I'd smack ya back but it might break the rest of yer brain! Ya got a head injury! Now's not the time to fall in love!"

"You think I planned it, dummins?"

"You ain't f-f-fightin' it!"

"Why should I?"

Rabbit jabbed his finger frantically at The Spine. "That! Th-th-th-that right there! That's what I mean!" he spluttered. "Ya need to cool it off, hot shot! You d-don't know what yer doin'!"

"Mind your own business, Rabbit." The Spine settled onto his futon and stared up at the darkened ceiling.

"I am! You're my brother! How are you not my business? Ya wanna t-t-talk about your own business? How about this little f-f-fairy tale she's been spinnin' about her arch-enemy?"

"She's not making it up, Rabbit. She just thinks he's a demon."

"So yer gonna help her kill some guy?"

"You believe in demons too, remember? So what're you worried about?"

Rabbit sank onto his own futon and stared at The Spine. "I guess I'm just worried about the next blow…"

"To my head? I don't think I'm that fragile."

"If I thought yer head was the most fragile part of ya right now, I'd a' let ya kiss her." Rabbit lay back and sighed.

"You really think she wanted me to kiss her?" The Spine asked quietly.

Rabbit clapped his hand to his face. "Ya really have ta ask me? She was grabbin' yer-"

He was interrupted by screams from outside. They jumped up and ran out to the porch, swords ready.

"Bring us the Golden One!" cried a guttural voice.

Five horsemen galloped down the center of the village. Their horses were trailing flames behind them as they galloped, setting huts alight as they passed.

"Bring us the one who killed the Beast's favorite pet! His blood must be spilt as penalty!"

"The Beast had a pet?" asked Rabbit.

"There's flames coming out of their… how is that even possible?" The Spine babbled. "This can't be… my processor's on the blink…"

"Yer fine. I see it too."

The Spine turned to him, eyes wide. "Maybe I'm imagining you too!"

"Let it go, little brother. Oh, no… Hatchy!"

Hatchworth marched to the center of town, and stood before the horsemen, arms akimbo.

"Who challenges me?" he cried, but he sounded shrill and pitiful. The horsemen laughed. One raised a spear.

"Not smart…" muttered The Spine.

Hatchworth moved one hand to the hatch on his chest. Villagers ran for cover.

"Oh, boy…" Rabbit murmured. "Hey, guess the folks here know about…"

Chiyo ran past, sword drawn. The Spine lunged for her and caught her by the back of her kimono, stopping her so suddenly that she fell back against him.

"Your brother!" she cried as he steadied her. "He can't fight them alone!"

"Just wait!" The Spine whispered, not letting go.

"But…"

He clapped his hand over her mouth and hissed, "The Beast sent them. Please, just let him handle it!"

She glared up at him.

"Yer gonna pay for that later…" Rabbit murmured innocently.

After struggling and finding herself truly stuck, Chiyo clanked The Spine on the head with the flat side of her sword.

"Or sooner," Rabbit giggled.

In the same moment, the leader of the horsemen let out a roar and flung the spear at Hatchworth, who opened his hatch. Blue, searing light poured over the horsemen and through the trees beyond them. Chiyo screamed into The Spine's hand.

When the smoke was blown aside by the evening breeze, Hatchworth stood alone. On the ground before him was a charred spear head.

The Spine let go. Chiyo whirled like an angry cat and fixed him with a wild stare.

"I'm sorry!" he said quickly. "I just didn't want you to get hurt…"

"Your brother!" she gasped, more startled than angry. "How can he do this thing?" She hesitated. "This was the cannon you mentioned?"

"Yes," he sighed, relieved that she wasn't planning to sharpen her sword on his chassis. She had never quite known what to make of their talk of cannons, back when they had tried to teach Hatchworth to sword fight. "If you had gotten in the way, you'd be gone, too."

She put her hand to her throat. "The power is incredible…" she gasped.

Hatchworth strolled up, idly tossing the smoking spearhead in the air and catching it as he walked. "So end all those who would challenge my greatness," he said pleasantly. "How are you all this fine evening?"


	8. Chapter 8: Shojo Manga Chapter

It was decided that they needed to leave immediately. Now the Beast was after Chiyo and Hatchworth, and apparently didn't realize they were traveling companions. It was time to move before he found out any more. The village had only recently been freed from terror; as it was, they now had to gather what they could carry and flee any further retaliation.

Hatchworth left them a large pile of sandwiches to divide and take with them in their flight, and bid them all a teary farewell. Pinky, who had spent their visit either curled up with Rabbit or playing up in the trees, scurried to Rabbit's shoulder as they marched down the road.

They cut across country just in case any other enemies followed, but here was no sign of pursuit. The Spine walked beside Chiyo most of the time, talking with her softly as they traveled. Rabbit tried to push aside his concerns without much success. He'd seen The Spine fall for girls before, but only very rarely had he fallen this hard. It scared him every time he did it, but this was worse. And The Spine was avoiding all conversation…

As for The Spine, he was happy. He wasn't exclusively happy… there were too many other issues to face. He couldn't just skip through meadows with her and kiss among the flowers. But this, walking with her, hearing her voice, being near her… this he meant to savor. He knew it wasn't the behavior of the stern, mature, steady Spine Walter. But it wasn't wrong, either. Rabbit knew it as well as he did. This part of him had always been there.

And Chiyo… he wasn't imagining it. She'd said it, even. She cared for him. She cared… This girl who had lost everything, who had no reason to trust him, a stranger with metal skin… She had feelings for him. It was a joyous and painful feeling. And he couldn't get enough of it.

They made camp by a stream a couple of nights after leaving the village. Chiyo stared at Rabbit while she ate. The Spine chuckled to himself as he watched Rabbit shift positions uneasily, at last stopping to glare at her.

"What?" he barked, startling Hatchworth off of his seat on a smooth rock. The Spine helped him up.

"What is your power?"

"My what, lady?"

"Your special power. Your brothers have shown theirs. The Spine can command lightning. Hatchworth has blue fire. Surely your brothers are not the only ones with Godly powers."

"Godly? I'd hardly c-c-call it that…" sneered Rabbit, snapping a dry branch and tossing it into the fire.

"You are the eldest. Do you not have superhuman abilities?"

"'Course I do, cave girl! Whaddya t-t-take me for?"

"Well?"

"I wouldn't want ya ta get hurt."

"Aim elsewhere. I would like to see these gifts."

"Fine!" he snapped. "Ya want scary, ya got it."

With that, his jaw unhinged and a spout clicked into position. He turned to a small bush and activated his flamethrower. Chiyo squeaked.

Rabbit reengaged his jaw and blinked at the burning shrubbery. "I, uh, should probably p-p-p-ut that out…"

The Spine yanked the bush up by the roots and tossed it into the stream. It hissed as it floated away.

"That enough?" Rabbit muttered. Chiyo nodded stiffly, eyes widened. "Good." He got up and stomped away.

The Spine thought the laser would have been more impressive, but he supposed Rabbit was just trying to scare her. His disconnecting jaw was fairly unsettling…

"Why is he angry?" she asked The Spine when she had caught her breath.

"I… guess he just doesn't want to be bothered about his fire."

"No… he's been angry all day. Why?"

The Spine looked at Hatchworth. Hatchworth smiled benignly. So much for subtlety.

"Hatchy, could you give us a minute…" he began.

Something hit him in the head. A shrill cry followed and the something snatched at his sword.

He batted it away and drew the weapon. All around them were creatures more or less like monkeys, and they were grabbing at anything that wasn't too heavy or too well attached for them to make off with it. They heard Rabbit roar with outrage as the swarm reached him in the woods.

"Hey! Come back here, you little creeps!"

The Spine didn't have time to figure out what they had managed to steal; he was too busy saving their packs and weapons. Chiyo was dispatching the demon monkeys as fast as they came at her. Each exploded into ash as her sword passed through. The Spine quickly began to follow suit. Hatchworth responded to another distant cry by grabbing up Rabbit's sword and running to his aid.

"No cannon, Hatchy!" The Spine shouted after him. "They're all over the place!"

"Right!" Hatchworth cried as he vanished into the trees.

He slashed through two as they lunged at Chiyo and felt several more grab hold of the scabbard across his back. He tried unsuccessfully to shake them off and more covered him, grabbing hold of his plating and tugging it. He cried out in frustration and fell backward, crushing several of the beasts.

"Spine!" cried Chiyo, slashing the monkeys that hadn't turned to ash under his weight.

"Behind you!" he cried.

She whipped around and sliced through three more; the last of the swarm, it turned out. She turned, panting, to The Spine.

"Horrible things," she coughed. "Ugh, the stench they leave behind!"

She sheathed her sword and held a hand out to help him up. He laughed.

"You know how much I weigh!" he chuckled.

"I'll shift my weight. Surely I can at least balance you…"

"No, you can't," he responded firmly. "I'll just…" He started to rise but something was off… "You gotta be kidding me… I'm stuck like a turtle."

"Come on." She held her hand out once more. He sighed and accepted it, knowing fairly well what was likely to happen.

They both pulled and she fell, squeaking, toward him. He caught her quickly by the waist before she could hit the hard metal of his chest plating.

Rabbit's voice came faintly, "No Hatchy! No cannon! You'll hit my goggles!"

Ah. That explained that.

"Thank you," Chiyo said, her face close to his.

"You're welcome…"

**_warning: impulse control at minimum levels. Repeat: impulse control failure imminent._**

Oh, boy… He gently lowered her to the ground beside him, wondering what would happen when impulse control failed. He had a suspicion…

"Maybe… we could… can you roll to the side and get up?" she asked distractedly, making no move to rise. She lay beside him, still catching her breath.

"I don't know…" He pushed against the ground with one leg and managed to lever himself onto his side. It felt as though the back scabbard, neatly centered, had been interfering with his previous attempts to move. He hoped he hadn't flattened it.

He heard Rabbit in the distance, bellowing, "Yeah, ya better r-r-r-run!"

He was closer to her now, leaning on one arm, looking down at her. She looked back, her breath still coming quickly, her cheeks a deepening pink. He had seen this in a movie somewhere… he knew what happened next. He told himself to get up before it was too late.

**_impulse control is now offline. Restarting secondary impulse systems…_**

He felt the difference sweep over him. Suddenly everything about her seemed amplified… her scent, her eyes, the softness of her skin. Impulses fired one after another through his mind. He could resist, if he tried hard enough… he thought…

She smiled up at him and touched his face softly with her fingertips. Something pulsed through him…

Maybe not…

"Chiyo…"

The last lingering spark of self-control slipped away. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close before his usual reserve had the chance to reboot. There was a tingle of electricity as their lips touched, but she didn't resist; on the contrary, she responded so eagerly that she nearly pulled his weight down onto her. He pulled back to correct his balance, laughing sheepishly. She smiled and pulled him to her once more. He realized, as their lips met with another tiny spark, how long his impulse control had been holding this back, and why it had been under such a strain.

But for now it was offline… all desire to hold back was gone, all restraint, all fear. There was only her. He knew somewhere in the back of his thoughts that any minute a voice would announce that he had control again. He hadn't decided whether he was going to use it.

**_secondary system restart complete. Impulse control is now online._**

He leaned back and looked at her. He had control now, he could feel it, but it was fighting the lingering after-effects of the kiss firing like electrical jolts through his thoughts.

Impulse control is more of an option than an actual necessity, he decided, pulling her close once more.

The campfire exploded. They jumped and Chiyo leaped to her feet as The Spine twisted around to look for the new threat.

All they saw was Rabbit. His laser eye was still gleaming from the blast he had fired. His hands were curled into fists.

Hatchworth burst from the trees in a shower of leaves. "I got the hat back, Rabbit!" He looked down at The Spine. "Miss Chiyo has fallen? My, her face is very red… is she injured?"

"Not yet," Rabbit said through clenched teeth.

"Don't you dare…" said The Spine, his voice low and even.

"I ain't gonna dare, dummins! She ain't in d-d-d-danger from _me_!"

The Spine realized all at once what his brother did mean and felt an ugly stab of guilt. He got up and lifted Chiyo to her feet. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Why? I'm not!" She shot a glare at Rabbit.

"I'll… explain it later."

"Alright," she murmured. She took a deep breath. "He is the elder brother… of course." Nevertheless, she shot Rabbit a dark look and kissed The Spine once more before turning to repair the campfire.

He could actually feel Rabbit staring at him… or was it only the lingering heat from the laser? He kept his eyes carefully away from Rabbit's righteous fury.

"I'll get more wood for the fire," he said without turning around, and marched away into the woods.


	9. Chapter 9: Setting Things Straight

They decided the next day that the Beast had likely been the one who sent the demon monkeys. The Spine was still resistant to the idea of demons, but even he had begun to accept the existence of these supernatural creatures. He just had no other way to explain all the things he'd seen. Least of all Pinky, who sometimes slept curled in Rabbit's arms, and sometimes seemed to have run away, but always turned up on Rabbit's shoulder when they set forth in the morning.

Rabbit at least managed to be civil and showed no signs of anger when they practiced their weapons training during breaks along the road. Unfortunately, they also got plenty of practical training as various demon swarms passed over them. There could be no doubt; The Beast knew they were together and was trying to weaken them. The lesser demons always tried to steal, and most especially anything shiny, such as a sword. Rabbit and The Spine took to standing back to back and slashing until no more creatures remained. Chiyo did the same with Hatchworth, making sure he always pointed away from camp so as to be able to fire his cannon.

By the time they stopped the third night out from Hatchworth's village, they were exhausted. Chiyo mumbled unhappily about the smell of the demons but did not dare go down to the nearby pond to bathe. The Spine lingered over the imagery this conjured and was glad he couldn't blush. Steam poured just a bit more thickly from his neck pipes, however, and he thought he saw Rabbit smirking.

"C'mon, big guy," the copper robot said. "Ya g-g-got demon dust in yer joints. Trade off?"

They slipped out of the robes they still wore and sat in their trousers, taking turns removing debris from each other with a stiff brush The Spine kept in his chest storage toolkit.

"I can't fit my hand in here, Spine. I think yer back plates got knocked crooked…"

Chiyo, now in a simple shift as she attempted to cleanse her skin with cold river water, stepped up and slipped her hand between the two rib plates in question, pulling out a twig. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged before returning to her own haphazard toilette.

"Say, she's dealin' with the whole robut thing pretty well…"

"Rabbit, I don't understand," muttered The Spine as Rabbit scrubbed at his smokestacks. "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"

"Wasn't ev-ev-ever not bein' nice," Rabbit replied absently.

"Look, are you angry or not?"

"Not at _her_," Rabbit said shortly.

"I wasn't the only one kissing, y'know."

"Yeah," Rabbit responded with infuriating and uncharacteristic calm as he moved to the neck rings, "but you were the only time-stuck robut doin' it while feelin' up some innocent g-g-girl from ancient Japan, even after his older brother warned him to be careful."

He what? The Spine searched his memory files and realized his hands _had_ been rather free while impulse control was rebooting. This just made him angrier, for some reason. His fists clenched with a soft metallic plink.

"Y'know what, Rabbit…" he began, louder than he'd intended. Chiyo looked quickly toward them. They looked back, each pasting on an identical bland smile.

"We'll discuss this later," The Spine muttered.

"I'll bring the baseball bats."

Hatchy went into stasis early that night. The Spine lay next to Chiyo as he had for the past few nights, waiting until she fell asleep before slipping away. He shot a dark look at Rabbit, who had been sitting and poking the fire for hours, before stalking away into the woods. He heard Rabbit get up and follow.

"I changed my mind," said Rabbit when they had gotten deep enough into the woods. "I'll try an' fix your main processor."

"You said it was too dangerous!"

"That was before I saw y-y-you rollin' in the leaves with Chiyo! Turns out it's more dangerous _not_ to fix it!"

"I'm fine! She's fine! Can't you let us have this?"

"You ain't yourself, Spine! You're usually the f-f-first one to talk about doin' the right thing! You're supposed to be the one who keeps the rest of us in line! It ain't right… suppose she doesn't understand that you ain't a man? Suppose she's seein' storks you can't bring her? She may think you can f-"

"You watch your mouth, Rabbit! It's not like that!"

"I'm just sayin'! That ain't the half of it, though… Yer gonna break her heart when ya go home! Ya ever th-th-think of that? I've seen how she looks at ya… She's in love. And you…"

The Spine had stopped hearing Rabbit. He was right! She was! She loved him! She loved him… He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered with guilty joy.

Rabbit pushed him. "Snap out of it! Let me fix yer brain! Maybe it ain't too late! If we get yer main processor back up, you might stop all this…"

"No!" cried The Spine. "I can't let you do that!"

"You don't realize what yer doin'! Yer feelings are outta whack!"

"My feelings are fine! I don't _want_ to stop feeling this way!"

Rabbit stared. "I don't even know…" he said faintly. "Wh-wh-where do I go with this? You're supposed to be…"

"Will you shut up about what I'm supposed to be? Maybe I'm tired of being the same all the time!"

"And maybe we need you that way! Ya ever think of that? I'm a walkin' junkyard an' Ha-Ha-Hatchy was never all there… If we can't depend on you, Spine, what's gonna happen to us?"

Rabbit looked at him so pitifully that The Spine felt his anger cool almost instantly. Rabbit with _that_ look… He sighed.

"You don't need me. Get your maintenance when you're supposed to. Pappy built you right, Rabbit. You just need to take care of yourself."

Rabbit looked down. "That sounds more like my brother," he sighed.

"Rabbit… maybe this isn't the best time to ask…"

"I d-d-d-don't like the sound of that."

"If… if something happens to me, I need you to take Chiyo's sword back home with you. There's a stone arch at the shrine…"

"Whoa whoa whoa… What do you think is gonna happen to you?"

"You've seen these swarms. These are just the little ones."

"And what m-m-makes you think I'll make it back and you won't?"

"Because…" murmured The Spine, looking at his hands, "I won't be going back…"

It was as if every creature in the forest had fallen silent.

"_What?_" roared Rabbit, startling every silent little creature from its hiding place at once.

"Rabbit…"

Rabbit was in the process of unleashing a stream of very futuristic English language profanity when they heard a cry from the camp, at a volume only a robot could boast.

"Rabbit! The Spine! Where are you?"

"Hatchy?"

"We're under attack!"

They heard Chiyo scream.

They ran. By the time they reached the edge of the wood, Chiyo was clutching the Spine's sword to her chest, unable to draw it to fight as she tried to pull her own from the claws of what looked like a harpy eagle… with extra harpy. Hatchworth was smacking at three more as each tried to grasp different parts of his chassis. A fifth beast flew in and struck at Chiyo from behind, knocking her to the ground.

Feeling a sudden suffocating panic, The Spine cried out and ran to her.

"Chiyo!" he gasped, sliding to the ground beside her. Her head was cut but she was conscious.

"Spine! What're you doing? Help me here!" cried Rabbit as he found his sword and slashed through one of the beasts.

"The sword!" Chiyo cried, looking up with blood trickling down her face.

The Spine looked up in time to see Hatchworth clamp his teeth onto the scabbard of the rising weapon, his arms tenaciously gripped by eagle talons. The next moment, the birds whirled his body around and around until Hatchworth's head, still fastened to the sword, came free of its housing and was carried away. The remaining eagles dropped the now limp bronze form and followed the others as they fled with their prizes.

"Hatchy!" screamed Rabbit, swinging his sword uselessly at the retreating harpies. "Let go, Hatchy!"

But Hatchworth seemed frozen in fear. His frightened eyes, glowing in the night, were the last thing they could see in the distance.

Rabbit stared after them, arms hanging at his sides. When the last flicker of light had passed from view, he slammed his sword down, turned, and glared at The Spine. He then resumed the enthusiastic swearing that had been interrupted just a few minutes previously.


	10. Chapter 10: From One Fever to Another

They broke camp in awkward silence. The Spine had no doubt what he'd hear if Rabbit began speaking to him again and did nothing to invite it. He felt horrible enough.

They pursued the harpies as quickly as they dared, considering Chiyo was injured and Hatchworth was without a head. They were able to set his body to follow mode and lead it along as they traveled, but it had trouble with uneven terrain.

The Spine carried Chiyo on his back after she began to get dizzy. She was light, but he hadn't had maintenance in weeks and maintaining the angle to carry a human wasn't easy; by dawn he was struggling.

They stopped for a break as the sun crept above the horizon. Chiyo sighed in relief as The Spine eased her to the ground, knelt beside her and kissed her gently.

"How are you?" he asked anxiously. "Do you feel sick or dizzy at all?"

She smiled. "Just tired. And thirsty."

He gave her water and had some himself. Rabbit was topping up Hatchworth's boiler as well as his own. He looked into the distance and spoke for the first time since they set out.

"How do we know they didn't turn?"

"Fear not," said Chiyo. "We cannot fail to find them. They have so carefully baited the net…"

Rabbit turned sharply. "Wait just a cotton-pickin' minute! You tellin' me that we're headin' f-f-for a trap?"

She nodded. "But they do not know that… they think we pursue blindly."

"I doubt it," The Spine sighed. Rabbit turned away. He was just as glad.

"Doubt what?" she asked.

"That The Beast doesn't know we realize it's a trap. He's been one step ahead of us for days. All those swarms weren't failures. They were sent to wear us down."

She sighed. "I know…"

Rabbit groaned and sank to the ground. "Why are we goin', then? I mean, we gotta go… on account of Hatchy… and where's Pinky?"

The Spine blinked. "I haven't seen her since…"

"Since we made camp last night," Rabbit finished, his voice breaking.

"Oh…" Chiyo breathed. "Oh, but perhaps she is safe, hiding in the wood there."

Rabbit, sitting with his back to them, made a sound that was suspiciously like a sniffle. "Maybe…"

"Don't start crying, now… we can't spare the oil," The Spine said.

"I ain't gonna cry," Rabbit muttered, not looking up.

"So what's the plan, then?" asked The Spine, feeling almost as depressed as Rabbit. "Is there anything we have over this monster? Anything he might not know?"

"What I can't understand is how he knows as much as he does," Chiyo said. "He knew that the sword was a threat, and part of the prophecy, but how did he know about your brother's head?"

"How do _you_ know about it?" Rabbit asked. "Ya d-d-don't seem shocked, but we never talked about it."

"Oh, I saw him remove it once."

"What?"

"Yes, while you two cleaned each other, he asked me to help him. Did you not notice?"

Rabbit looked at The Spine. "You were pretty filthy…"

"We both were."

"It was distracting. And disgusting."

"As usual."

Silence fell once more. At length, Chiyo sighed. "I don't know what to do," she said, shivering.

"Well, let's get moving," said The Spine. "Maybe we'll figure it out as we go. Do you feel up to walking?"

"Of course," she replied, rising. She groaned softly and lurched sideways. The Spine caught her quickly.

"Not quite yet, hm?" he asked. "Alright, up you get…"

"Spine?" said Rabbit.

"Not now…"

"I'll take her for a little while."

"Really?" said The Spine after a long stare.

"Yeah. She's hurt. She can't be w-w-w-walkin' right now… And you're havin' trouble, too. Don't think I haven't noticed. We'll take turns, alright?"

The Spine nodded. He would have gone on until he collapsed, he realized, rather than ask for help. If he had fought along with the others, Chiyo would have been just as safe… but all he could think about was her. He knew he should have looked for a way he could save all of them. He had just been so afraid of losing her.

Rabbit's right, he realized as they started out once more. I'm not helping. I have to let her go.

By the following day, Chiyo was delirious. Close examination of her wounds showed they were infected; it seemed as though the harpies had some kind of venom on their claws.

They were approaching a village, but without Chiyo to speak for them, neither felt confident entering town to ask for aid. They camped at a safe distance and discussed it.

"Well, the way I see it, there's only one choice," said The Spine. "One of us needs to disguise himself and go in at night, maybe see if they have some kind of healer. I'm volunteering, by the way."

"I'd say you were too t-t-tall, but around here, we're both giants, so sure. I'll keep an eye on things here."

The Spine knelt beside Chiyo and stroked her feverish cheek with his cool fingers. She shivered. He kissed her cheek and began to rummage through the bags to assemble his disguise.

"Spine?"

"Hm?"

"Y'know… maybe I was wrong. I mean, you… you obviously love her… I thought it was just about sex before but…"

"How is that even possible?"

"Shut up. I'm just sayin', y'know, it's between the two of ya. I'll stay outta the way."

"I appreciate that, Rabbit… but you're not wrong. I screwed up. If we hadn't been in the woods having it out, Chiyo might not have been poisoned. Hatchy might still have a head."

"Well, that makes it partially my fault, then!"

"You were doing the right thing. What I usually do. If I hadn't let my feelings run away with me…"

"You wouldn't be The Spine. I know you. You've always been the tin man. I get that now."

"The tin man?"

"If I only had a heart…" warbled Rabbit with a crooked smile.

"Really?"

"Everyone always acted like The Jon was the soft robut, but I always knew there were two. Jon just never knew any better than to stick his neck out every chance he got. Some soft types m-m-make themselves a shell. I guess that makes you a crustacean or somethin'…"

The Spine sat back on his heels, examining the clothing items in his hands. "I think your metaphors are getting out of hand," he said without looking up.

"Yeah. They do that." He rose to help The Spine dress.

Once he was draped reasonably well with the various items, all that showed of The Spine were his eyes. As he left for the village in the red light of sunset, he murmured, "Keep bathing her forehead. Try to get her to drink something. And Rabbit… thank you. I don't know yet what I'll do about Chiyo, but… I do appreciate what you said."

Rabbit stared at him for a long moment. The Spine clapped a hand on his shoulder and started to turn away. Rabbit lunged at him and hugged him.

"Be careful, buddy!" he sobbed.

"Rabbit! My hood!"

"Sorry! Sorry… Just, stay safe. You never know with these villages. I should know." He tapped the gash under his eye thoughtfully.

The Spine nodded and hurried away before he could change his mind. Rabbit's advice was less than comforting, and it was already all he could do to walk away from Chiyo, considering her condition.

It was completely dark when he reached the outskirts of the village. An old woman met him as he strolled along the road, trying to look like he belonged.

"My, you're quite a tall man, aren't you?" she said pleasantly.

"I… yes. Could you help me? My friend is sick and I require medicine for her. Is there someone…?"

"Oh, I should say there is. You're a lucky young man. There's a marvelous healer here. Practically works miracles. Come along."

Twenty minutes later, he sat in a large hut and tried to explain Chiyo's symptoms to the same old woman. He couldn't help thinking she'd been a bit rude, introducing herself the way she did, but he wasn't about to say so. If there was a chance she could save Chiyo, he didn't dare offend her.

"So, demons, eh?"

"Yes…" She sounded skeptical. He didn't blame her. "I know it sounds…"

"Which kind?"

"Excuse me? Oh… they looked like… birds… with… with…" He coughed. "Breasts."

"And you say they clawed the girl? There were many of them?"

"It was a swarm. They knocked her down and scratched her, yes. She's a demon-slayer… but she was trying to protect my sword…"

"Couldn't you protect your own sword?"

"I wasn't there," he muttered bitterly.

"I see. So… who is her enemy?"

"Her enemy?" he asked suspiciously. How did this little woman know so much?

"Who is so powerful that he commands so many beasts? He who seeks your sword? No, it matters not," she said, as he opened his mouth. "You bear the guilt of her injuries. This is what makes her sick."

"What?"

"It is you that must heal her."

"I can't heal her! I'm only a ro… I'm only a man! I came to you for medicine for her infection! You can't send me back to watch her die!" His voice broke. "Please," he whispered. "Help me… if you can…"

"If I can!" cried the old woman. "Of course I can! What do you take me for?" She tossed a packet into his lap. "Give her a scoop of that with water every few hours. It will drive out the venom. But her fever must be cooled or she will not last."

"How do you…"

"I know, boy. She must be kept cool, but not cold. Mind that now… she mustn't shiver… that will make her warmer."

So that was why humans shivered! Still, The Spine was feeling very little confidence in feudal Japanese health care.

"Thank you," he said without much expression, and left.

By the time he got back, he had decided how he could keep her cool. He hoped Rabbit wouldn't make too much of it.

"Spine, buddy! I keep swabbin' her h-h-head but she ain't getting' cooler! Did ya get somethin'?"

"I did. I just hope it works. I'd give almost anything for some aspirin right now…" He sighed and poured a cup of water.

Once the medicine was prepared, he carefully lifted her and helped her drink it. She wasn't precisely conscious but would swallow if he poured a little into her mouth; sip by sip, he got it all into her.

"We have to keep her cool, Rabbit."

"I know that! I told _you_!"

"I'm just making sure you understand what I'm about to do."

He stripped off the disguise, then his own clothing, down to the waist.

"Uh, Spine…"

"Hush, Rabbit." He uncomfortably began to remove Chiyo's kimono, wishing he knew whether feudal Japanese women wore underwear. To his relief, she was still wearing the simple shift under her clothing. He spread the kimono around her and lay down beside her.

"You two want some privacy?"

"Rabbit…"

"I'm only foolin'. I get it already. Don'tcha think yer boiler will make her warmer?"

"It's not right up against her," he replied softly as he began to stroke her face with his cool fingers. She shifted restlessly as his touch, and shivered a little.

"Oops." He slid forward and put his arm over her, bringing the warmer part of his chassis closer to her. Not too cool, the healer had said. That part he had understood.

She wriggled in closer to the warmth. He closed his eyes. He wanted to hold her there, but he had to pull back, just a little, rather than let her grow warmer. He only wanted to protect her, but right now it would only hurt her to be that close.

"It's gonna be a long night." sighed Rabbit, removing his top layer as well. "Lemme know when ya run out of cool spots."

They alternated throughout the night, putting cool water on her with their cool fingers, and giving her the medicine.

Sipping water during Rabbit's turn, The Spine was watchful for swarms of demons, but none came, and he realized none would. The damage was done. The Beast had her sword, and had made her deathly ill.

"Rabbit?" he said apprehensively. "How is she?"

Rabbit was stroking the back of his hand across her cheek. "Soft…"

"What?"

"Oh, I think she's getting a bit cooler, actually."

"Ah… good…" He frowned. Soft? "I think I'm ready for my turn now."

Rabbit almost sprang away from Chiyo. "Yes, good. Go ahead." He got up and walked to the edge of the camp, staring out into the darkness.

"Right…" He took Rabbit's place beside her and touched her cheek. "She _is_ cooler…"

"Knew it," said Rabbit without turning around. "Maybe you should get some rest, buddy."

The Spine was about to protest, when he heard:

**_power levels at 25%..._**

"Alright."

Rabbit turned suddenly. "Hey, I thought y-y-you'd put up more of a fight. Good. I'll keep watch."

The Spine put one arm gently over Chiyo, positioned so that the weight would not become a problem when he was no longer conscious, set a three hour timer, and went into stasis.

Rabbit was staring at the first streaks of sunrise when Chiyo woke. He heard the change in her breathing and turned to look at her, relief flowing over him.

_She's gonna be okay…_

She first looked at The Spine, reaching up to stroke his smooth metal cheek. Rabbit looked back at the sunrise.

"Rabbit…" she said.

"Hey," he said, admiring the colors studiously. "You feel any b-b-better?"

"I feel just fine. What's happened? Why is his kimono off? And yours… and… mine…"

"He was trying to cool you with his body… the cool parts, I mean. I did, too." He hastily picked up his kimono and slipped into it. "Ya had a f-f-fever."

"Oh…" She looked at The Spine, touching his face again. There was a whirring sound and his shuttered eyes opened.

"Hello," he said, smiling. She kissed him gently as the sun's first rays lit his silvery cheeks a pale pink.

"I'll go get more water," Rabbit said, scooping up a water skin.

"Rabbit!" she called. He paused.

"Thank you."

He grinned back at her. "Don't m-m-mention it. I won't. Just don't make us hafta do it again." He hurried away.


	11. Chapter 11: The Prophecy

Despite Chiyo's protests, the robots agreed to risk a day's delay to let her rest. Their camp site was reasonably secluded and sheltered, and water was no problem since they had a small pond nearby. Rabbit and The Spine passed the time singing to her and practicing their training. By the following morning, she was ready to travel, though they still had to carry her some of the time.

That night, Chiyo was more quiet than usual as she sat beside The Spine. He put his arm around her.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Weary," she murmured.

"You should rest. I don't know when we'll catch up to them, but you'll need your strength."

"I just hope we're goin' the right direction," said Rabbit, peeling bark off a stick and tossing the pieces into the fire restlessly.

"We are," she said firmly. "He is leading us back to the land of my ancestors."

"You sure? Why would he do that?"

"They are also his ancestors. I… have not told you all I know."

The both stared at her. "Why? Chiyo, what have you kept back?" The Spine asked anxiously.

"The prophecy."

"But you told me about it! The prediction that a warrior with your sword would come help you fight The Beast…"

"Was a partial truth. I don't know for certain that everything I said is right… I am sure you are the Warrior, Spine. There has only ever been one sword. It is the rightful property of my ancestors. It would only have come to you to bring aid to my family. But…" She sighed. "Maybe I had better tell you the whole prophecy and let you decide."

"Sounds like a good idea," Rabbit said faintly. The Spine nodded. He hadn't put much faith in prophecies anyway, but lately a lot of things he hadn't thought were real had turned out to be so.

"By the blood of the two houses shall the gateways open," she began, reciting from memory. "The steely warriors shall pass by the sword into antiquity. By blood and sword will the warriors pass into eternity."

Rabbit looked sharply at The Spine.

"The Beast shall be bound and the warrior shall fall, lest darkness reign."

This time The Spine looked up sharply, at Chiyo, who continued,

"Brother shall be sundered from brother, and sealed once more. Stone shall weep at the silence of the warrior, and the future shall pass into the past.

"The hero will draw life from the earth, light shall be restored, strength reclaimed, and memory pass into immortality."

"Well," said Rabbit. "That… um. That didn't make one bit of sense. Except for the steely warriors, hey, Spine? Guess they ain't heard of titanium…"

"But… which warrior will fall?" asked The Spine. Chiyo was a warrior as well!

"I have always thought the warrior who should fall would be the one who faced The Beast."

The Spine stared at her. "But you're the one who was going to… No… No, that can't be what it meant!"

"Spine…" Rabbit said.

"You don't have to die to stop…" His voice failed him.

"I am prepared…"

"No!"

"Spine, calm down!" said Rabbit quickly. "How do we even know th-th-this thing is gonna come true, literally? And maybe we're just getting it wrong… maybe they're callin' The Beast a warrior. Hm?"

"He is a coward," Chiyo muttered. "He is no warrior!"

"Chiyo… We have to find another way… I won't let this happen!"

"We have to save your brother…"

"I know! But…"

She laid her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "Even if he was not a prisoner, we would have to go. The prophecy says the Beast must fall or darkness will reign. That is reason enough."

"I know… but… there's been so little time…" He kissed the top of her head and shut his eyes.

Rabbit sighed slowly. "So what about the rest of it? I think I understand the first bit with the gateways. Got a full view of that part. And brother was sundered from brother. But how's a stone gonna cry? Lessee…" He made as if to count on his fingers, retracing the words in his mind. "The future always passes into the past, no mystery there… Hm… Life from the earth… yeah, that whole line is a cranium-scratcher."

"We did not understand it ourselves," she murmured, still nestled against The Spine. "But our understanding had always been that the two houses must fight and The Beast be bound, though our warriors should fall. But that was before there was only one left. And the brothers… the ancestor we share was the father of twin sons. The sword bears the emblem of our house. It was to pass to the eldest son, but his brother rebelled, and said that perhaps he had been born first, and how could they know otherwise? The rightful brother, my ancestor, was slain by his twin, who was in turn slain by his nephew. The sword was taken by the rightful heir, who fled with his house and has been hunted ever since."

"You said he was a demon..." The Spine said hesitantly.

"His line has since mingled with demons, and prospered through their unholy power. But though The Beast has power, it is not enough to challenge the warlords. Instead, he has been cunning, and darkened our name in the sight of the rulers, so that we could not apply to them for justice. I have been careful to hide who I really am, but when I am called to aid the people of a troubled village, I come.

"It has been a long, lonely, weary life since I was left alone. You have made it happy again for a little time. I had thought to find peace only in death. I have instead found it in life. If I must die, I will die content."

The Spine said nothing, but held her close. He was startled by a muffled sob from the other side of the fire.

"Rabbit?"

"That's… that's just…" Rabbit waved a weakly dismissive hand. "It's too… aw, Spine! I-I-I'm g-g-goin' ta sleep…"

"Alright. Wait… How soon do you think we'll get there, Chiyo?"

"Tomorrow evening," she whispered.

Silence. The Spine felt a terrible urge to shout at her. So little time!

"I'm sorry…"

"No… don't be…" was all he could manage. He looked over at Rabbit, who was already in stasis. He didn't know whether he had waited to hear what she'd said.

They lay down, entwined as much as they dared, considering the weight of his limbs and body. If he hadn't needed all his strength for the next day, he would have stayed awake all night, feeling her in his arms and listening to her breathe. As it was, he waited until he was sure she was sleeping before going into stasis. By that time, he had resolved one thing for certain…

There was no proof that she had to kill The Beast herself. If the prophecy demanded the death of a warrior, then with every ounce of strength he had, he would endeavor to make sure that the warrior that fulfilled it was not Chiyo. If this prophecy demanded a warrior, it was going to get an automaton warrior.


	12. Chapter 12: True Character

The following day they made plans before setting out. If there was a chance of saving Hatchworth and regaining the sword, they needed an edge. And with only three against who knew how many, there wasn't much to work with.

It was finally decided that Chiyo must approach The Beast alone while they snuck around and scouted the camp. The Spine objected, loudly and with great vigor, when she suggested it. Rabbit was silent, to his surprise. Not only was it unlike Rabbit, but he had thought Rabbit would relish the idea of being part of a covert attack.

Chiyo explained that she doubted The Beast meant to kill her outright, and it wasn't as if they would be leaving her to her fate… nonetheless, The Spine only agreed under the condition that he or Rabbit accompany her while the other looked for Hatchworth. Unfortunately, it was clear which robot was the better choice for slipping into the camp silently.

"But this Beast guy knows all about us," said Rabbit. "Ain't he gonna wonder where you went?"

"Well, we can tell him I malfunctioned. Or abandoned you. If that doesn't work, you can claim she's your prisoner."

Chiyo scowled. "Must we?" she asked sternly.

Rabbit laughed. "I don't doubt you could kill me in a minute, baby. It's just an act."

She smiled suddenly. "I think not, but… alright."

The Spine wished he could smile. He had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

They traveled in near silence the next day. By sunset, they had come close to their destination and stopped atop a nearby hill to take a look.

"Spine?"

"I see it, Rabbit…"

They were looking at the place Chiyo had told them about. There was no doubt about it. The stairs were newer, the surrounding city not yet built, but it was the shrine. The same shrine they had visited with the rest of the band.

At least, it was the staircase. At the top were tents, huts, and a fog of fluttering shapes.

"This is it, then." The Spine stared, wide-eyed, at the swirling cloud of little demons. "Do you think he has any bigger ones?"

"I'm sure of it," said Chiyo. He watched her reach absent-mindedly for her sword. She remembered it wasn't there and sighed.

"Chiyo… you'll need a sword." He took off his back scabbard. "Here. It's only going to get in my way sneaking."

She nodded. "Thank you. I know you can defend yourself without it."

"Better than I can with it." He forced a grin. "Well, it's getting dark. Let's go." He looked around. His brother had been so quiet he hardly knew he was there. "Rabbit?"

Rabbit had been staring at the two of them as The Spine handed over his sword. He rubbed at one eye as Chiyo slipped from their hilltop vantage into the shadows. "Coming, brother."

Hatchworth had grown tired of resting in a box. He supposed his brothers must have gotten lost again.

His teeth still gripped Chiyo's sword.

The Beast had been bemused, it seemed, by his dogged determination to stay on the sword, and his apparent lack of worry that he might actually bend it in the process of doing so, should anyone try hard enough to remove it. So he had popped both robot and sword into a trunk and set a guard.

Hatchworth had just begun to despair when he'd heard a tiny scrabbling at his trunk and saw a little squirrelly face peeking in at him. He had supposed at the time that Pinky had been sent to reassure him that help was on the way… but it had been days since then. She came by from time to time, usually at night, which was some comfort. However, it had become clear that she, too, had ended up in the camp of the enemy and the strong warriors who could save them were yet far away.

But Hatchworth had once waited some eighty years for reclamation when his power core developed a crack. He could wait now.

He just hoped they figured out it was a trap.

Rabbit and Chiyo crept up the staircase, hoping they'd be lucky… maybe there would be less of a force than expected and their surprise attack would be unnecessary.

The Spine had come up as far as he dared, Hatchworth's body on his back, slipping away into the hillside undergrowth to secrete his load in hopes of being able to bring the head back and add their most powerful ally to the fray. They had yet to see a demon withstand the cannon.

He propped Hatchworth against a tree and slipped out of his kimono. He moved forward in trousers and bare feet, hoping to create less noise streamlined. He circled the camp, looking for the largest tent, studying the number of demons posted in each place. It seemed likely there would be more wherever the sword was, and if he knew Hatchworth, he most likely hadn't let go yet.

**_Receiving radio transmission…_**

There was a crackle in his ear. "Spine…" came a faint voice.

"What? How?" he hissed. He realized it must be short range. Had they already reached the top?

"They got us…"

"Rabbit?"

"They know, Spine. They know everything…"

"Rabbit!"

"He says he's gonna kill her if you don't surrender…"

"Rabbit… use your laser! Don't let him…"

"Come to the top of the stairs…"

"He'll kill her anyway, Rabbit!" he sent, anguished.

"Trust yer brother, big guy. I have a plan."

"What plan?"

"No time. Come on. I'm already putting it into action."

He didn't dare press matters. He sprinted for the staircase.

"Have you summoned the silver one?" asked The Beast.

"I have, Master."

"Master! Ooo, I like that…"

Rabbit bowed slightly, smiling his eeriest smile. He'd spent a total of two years over the decades perfecting that look in the mirror, the one he used during "Suspender Man" onstage. It felt surreal to be using it now. And without an accordion, yet.

Chiyo stood beside him, defeated, looking so downtrodden that no one had even thought to seize her weapon. He couldn't tell whether her dismay was sincere or not. If it wasn't, she was a helluva good actress. And likewise, he had no doubt that she was wondering the same thing about him. As well she should!

As soon as they had found themselves surrounded by demon guards, Rabbit had snaked out his hand and neatly grabbed her by the upper arm before she could swing her sword. He had bellowed loudly for The Beast to some out and speak with him and behold his prisoner. And The Beast had come out, one sculpted eyebrow raised. Rabbit was tickled to have such a stylish adversary. He'd pictured barbarians in fur. This guy looked like something from Inuyasha mixed with the lead singer from Panic at the Disco.

What a rush! The Spine thought he was hot stuff, making plans for everyone. Well, he had a surprise in store. Rabbit could take care of himself.

The Spine arrived at the top of the stairs and saw the scene… The Beast, a sleek figure of a man, almost feminine, hair hanging down his back and mingling with silken robes, smirking at him. Rabbit, grinning wickedly, one hand still on Chiyo's bare upper arm. And under Rabbit's fingers, a purpling bruise.

"Rabbit… take it easy…" he sent. Rabbit inclined his head but made no reply.

"Rabbit?"

"Ah, the silver warrior! Or should I call you the steely warrior?" The Beast called smoothly. "Good of you to come. The Rabbit has told me he could summon you with his mind, but I was not sure whether I believed it. It truly is an age of wonders."

"Enough!" The Spine shouted. Chiyo looked up at him, terror in her eyes. Was it part of the act? "Let her go. You've killed the rest of her family. She just wants to live her life. Stop this now."

"Bold words, considering you have no power left. I like that. But I'm not going to harm her, you needn't fear that. Her house has always been a bit… oh, dramatic, I suppose, in interpreting the family prophecy. Everything must end in death and destruction and darkness. How limited. Words can mean so many things.

"Chiyo, dear, did you not suspect that the way I must be bound is in marriage? That the way the warrior would fall is prey to love?"

Chiyo looked from The Spine to The Beast sharply. "Never," she said evenly. "And neither have you."

"Well," he mused. "Not so much the love part, I confess. You're not really my type. Fall at my feet, then, and accept my condescension. I have won. Justice prevails. Accept my hand and end this prolonged warfare. Let the brothers sundered be joined in the union of our houses. Then will the portals open… what riches lie beyond, I wonder?"

"I will accept no such disgrace, murderer. Our family only ever sought to live in peace."

"Ah. Well, fortunately for me, that wasn't the only plan I had." He turned and walked toward The Spine, looking him up and down. "Look at him. Formidable. A rare man. I have never seen the like. Work of man, or of God? No matter. I understand you favor this one."

"What do you know of it? Do you have a spy? You've known what we were going to do almost before we did it!" cried The Spine.

The Beast chuckled, turning a grin on Rabbit, whose smile widened, becoming truly sinister.

"Rabbit?" The Spine sent, shocked. No response. Could it be?

"Never you mind, steely warrior. Although, there is more than one steely warrior, as there is more than one interpretation of the prophecy. I now have my own metal man. Again we find a new meaning to the words of the prophetess." He turned to Chiyo. "As I said, you favor this one. No sense denying it. What you see in this machine I can't imagine. But I daresay it is enough that you see it."

The Beast twitched his head and Chiyo was flanked by demons.

"Rabbit? Come and help me make a point."

Rabbit let go of Chiyo, who rubbed at her arm. The bruise wrapped around it in a cruel purple ring.

The Spine was at a loss. Rabbit must have turned against them! Even Rabbit, as he knew him, wouldn't go this far to trick The Beast. Indeed, as he approached, all The Spine could see in his face was sinister amusement.

"Rabbit, please!" he sent once more.

"Rabbit, can you suggest the next step here? Something to persuade Chiyo to consider my offer?"

Rabbit's smiled dropped. "I could p-p-pop his arm off."

"You and what army?" muttered The Spine.

"But I'd rather just tear off his head and toss it to your little demon pets."

"That's a bit more than I want just yet…" The Beast began, seeming a little startled.

"Well, that's too bad," Rabbit said darkly. "You ain't the only one with plans. I've been waitin' a long time for this, ya sidewinder." Rabbit stepped forward and reached for The Spine.

"No, you idiot, I need him alive!"

"Rabbit!" The Spine gasped. He'd never seen him like this…

"Trust me…" Rabbit sent.

"What?" he sent back. Rabbit's murderous smile filled his whole vision. He knew he was stronger than Rabbit, but seeing him, his older brother, this way, had almost paralyzed him with horror.

"Let go… on my mark…" Rabbit sent, his tone as soothing as his face was terrifying.

"No! Rabbit, d-d-don't!"

Rabbit grabbed him by the head with one hand and the shoulder with the other.

"Now!"

Almost too late, The Spine understood.

_Your head separates from your body, you idiot…_

He released his docking clamps as Rabbit pulled, yanking his head and spine easily from his body.

Chiyo screamed. The Spine fought the desire to comfort her as he made his face go slack, playing dead.

"You fool!" roared The Beast. "He was my leverage!"

"Was he? Well, things change. Now he can be your coat rack," Rabbit responded snidely, throwing The Spine's head casually into the center of camp. The Beast's enraged response trailed away into the distance as he flew.

The Spine waited until he struck the ground and used the long end of his spine to flip himself under a cart, slithering into the shadows. He took a moment to get his bearings and recover from the terror.

Rabbit didn't know it, but he had always been able to scare The Spine. While he saw now that it was absurd to think Rabbit would sell them all out, the copper robot had always been just enough of a wild card to make him wonder.

Peering around him, he headed, slithering like a snake, for the tent he had already concluded, during his brief reconnaissance, was the most likely location for the sword and Hatchworth.


	13. Chapter 13: Night Falls

Pinky hadn't made her nightly visit. Hatchworth was worried. He would have called to her, but his teeth were still on duty.

He heard a scrabbling at his trunk. At last! He had come to rely on her little visits…

"Hatchworth?" came a voice over his radio. "Hatchy? Are you in there?"

"Brother! I did not know these radios were still functional…"

"I thought so! I can see the end of the sword…"

"Ah, yes. How are you?"

"I need to get you back to your body!" The Spine sent, ignoring the pleasantries. "Rabbit and Chiyo are in trouble!"

"Well, that does sound bad. She needs her sword. I have kept it safe."

"Safe? You got captured, Hatchworth… never mind. Let's get this open…"

There was the sound of a struggle, followed by swearing half-censored by radio interference.

"I… can't open it like this…" came The Spine's defeated complaint.

Then Hatchworth heard a squeak and the lid opened. Pinky reached in and pulled him from the box.

"At last! Where are the guards?"

"They must have gone out to join The Beast," The Spine responded. "Pinky," he added aloud. "We must help Rabbit. We have to get back to our bodies or he could die."

Pinky gasped in her high, sweet voice. She nodded vigorously.

"Alright," he said aloud. "Hatchworth first!"

Rabbit was sulking… or pretending to sulk. He sat on The Spine's fallen torso, arms folded, glaring up at The Beast while he shouted. Apparently he was the noisy type, always having to tear you a new one when you crossed him. Rabbit was fine with him doing that for as long as he liked. Once he had it out of his system, he might just decide to see if Rabbit's spine was removable, too. Or worse, he might look for a new ways to persuade Chiyo to marry him.

Chiyo… That scream had just about broken his heart. He had no way to warn her, no way to comfort her. He'd even had to squeeze her arm hard enough bruise it when The Beast had refused to believe he'd turned traitor. He couldn't even get her an ice pack. She must hate him now… He hoped she did. The alternative was for her to be drowned in despair. He would accept her hatred any day, rather than see her hopeless.

He risked a peek at her. She looked back with rage in her eyes, trapped between the demons. Good girl, he thought, though the look pierced him to the heart. Hold that anger, honey. It might just save your life.

Maybe they would have to say goodbye to her soon… Maybe _The Spine_ would have to say goodbye, that is… but it would be easier to bear if she didn't have to be the warrior who fell. Come to think of it, The Spine had already fallen, so maybe she was safe…

"I don't need another fool of a brute who exists for nothing but blood!" The Beast was saying. He hesitated, peering into the neck cavity of The Spine's chassis. "Don't your kind bleed?"

"Sorta."

"That's oddly revolting…" murmured The Beast, leaning in closer.

There was a blast of blue light and all the demons behind The Beast were vaporized. He whirled to see what had happened. As he did, something thunked into the ground behind Rabbit. He didn't turn as the faint sound of slithering followed; instead he got nonchalantly to his feet.

"What was that?" The Beast was saying.

"Fireflies?"

There was a hum and a hiss at Rabbit's elbow. Rabbit, eyes still trained on The Beast, calmly drew his katana. The Beast turned, and gaped.

"I believe you had a point to make," said a deep voice. The Spine raised his sword alongside his brother.

Rabbit grinned. "That was a pun."

He'd been hesitant about the idea. There just hadn't been time to come up with an alternative once they'd reached Hatchworth's hidden chassis. And, to his relief, it had gone well. He'd clamped the sword in his teeth and Hatchworth had tossed him, this time back to his body. And, as he thought with secret satisfaction, thanks to the diversion, he'd made an entrance worthy of an action hero.

Now he and Rabbit stood side by side, swords drawn, facing the enemy. Chiyo, with a sob of relief, had drawn hers when her demon guards had scattered in alarm after Hatchworth's cannon blast.

"Oh, I see…" said The Beast, glaring at the two of them. "The one thing Chiyo didn't know about you. Well done."

"Chiyo?" asked The Spine. "What do you mean?"

"How do you think I followed your actions? There's a certain sympathetic magic even in distant blood ties."

Chiyo looked indignant, but The Spine was stunned.

"But... Rabbit…" he said, jumping as Hatchworth blasted his cannon somewhere on the stairs.

Rabbit grinned roguishly, winking at him sidelong. "I just n-n-never told you it _wasn't_ me, bro."

"I… I'm sorry…"

"You kiddin'? I never had such a compliment!"

The Beast looked around at the three of them. "So, you never meant to join me? Well, again I bow to you. I am not easy to fool. But three against one man? Isn't that excessive?"

"Not with your buddies there," Rabbit replied.

"Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me." He gestured with his hands, tracing patterns in the air. "You idiots! Stand with me!" roared The Beast to his minions. They gathered, fleeing the still firing cannon, now somewhere in the woods, and flew in to attack Rabbit and The Spine. In the confusion, The Beast drew his own sword and swung it at The Spine, who parried between demon strikes.

"Face _me_, Beast!" cried Chiyo. "I am your ancient enemy. I will be the one to destroy you!"

"But didn't your kind always believe the steely warrior would do it for them? Or are you afraid that whoever slays me will fall? That _is_ what your people believe, isn't it?"

"It matters not, as long as you are slain!" she cried harshly.

"I could say the same of you…" He swung at her. She stopped his blow easily. "One of us will die here."

"What of binding the houses?" she asked angrily. "You can't do that if I'm dead!"

"Unless that's your way of saying you've changed your mind," he said, blocking her next swing, "I should point out that there are many interpretations of the prophecy. Blood is blood, and one way or another, ours will be joined!"

She roared with rage, jumping from simmering to boiling over once again, and attacked by the brief blue glow of another distant cannon blast.

The Spine desperately slashed at the attacking demons. There were so many! He had to get to her, to stop The Beast himself, and save her from the prophecy… even if he had to fall himself to fulfill it.

He took out a larger monster as quickly as he could manage and pushed through the smaller ones to join them where they fought… the two houses facing off, trading blow for angry blow. As he approached, he saw The Beast twitch his head. Obediently, a passing demon shot down and struck Chiyo in the back. She stumbled forward arms flailing… and into The Spine, who had run in just in time to intercept the sword thrust The Beast had aimed at her stomach.

He felt it enter his back, catching a thin gap between plates. Something was severed; he didn't have time to figure out what. He steadied her and reached back to yank the sword out. It snapped off. He twisted to see what remained, hoping to be able to pull it free, and groaned in pain. Chiyo at last saw what had happened.

**_Warning… blue matter core has been compromised…_**

_That can't be good…_

"No!" Chiyo was screaming. "Rabbit!"

"Kinda b-b-busy!" Rabbit returned, too beset with demons to even be able to look around.

The Beast seized the moment. The demon that had struck her in the back swooped down while she was distracted and snatched the sword from her hands, dropping it over its master.

"This was how it was meant to end," he said, catching it neatly. He faced The Spine, who ignored the spasms in his back and raised Chiyo's sword. "The houses face each other, you as their champion. I will slay you and there will be no more obstacles. We will wed… or _not_…" he leered at Chiyo, "but either way, the union of our blood will open the gateway to riches untold!"

"You may find that gateway only leads only to a bunch of sweaty robot mechanics," The Spine said with a smirk.

The Beast frowned and came in for the attack.

The Spine thanked any of the local gods who might be listening for the training he'd had since he first faced off against Chiyo. The Beast was a skilled swordsman. They fought through the surrounding demon battle. Rabbit tossed Chiyo his sword, and she continued to strike down demons while Rabbit shot them with his laser. Hatchworth's cannon could still be seen from time to time as he fired it away from his allies, searing hundreds of lesser demons with his blue matter.

The Spine could feel his back sparking, and something else there was just not right; something was weakening, gradually slowing some of his movements. He managed to cut the Beast's arm; in that same moment, Chiyo let out a roar of pure rage. It turned midway into a cry of panic. He turned to look as she slashed a demon in two.

She looked his way and her eyes widened. He whipped back around, cringing at the pain, cursing himself for allowing the distraction, and just in time dodged the sword The Beast had thrown. He heard Rabbit scream but he couldn't miss this chance, couldn't let this monster go. Coming back up, he drove the sword upward, piercing his enemy from stomach to back at an ascending angle. What he knew of human anatomy told him the battle was over.

The Beast shook, his eyes growing wide. Blood bubbled from his lips. The Spine shut his eyes and yanked the weapon free, wincing at the thud as the body hit the ground.

There was no joy in this. It had to be done. That was all… If he could have been sick, he would. With The Spine's fledgling sword skills and The Beast's allies, the battle had seemed matched, despite his greater physical strength. Now that it was over, it almost felt as though he had killed a child… But he'd had to protect Chiyo…

Through the waves of guilt and horror, he heard Rabbit's voice.

He was crying… Why would Rabbit cry?

"Chiyo… no…" Rabbit wailed. "Spine! Spine!"

He forced himself to turn, afraid of what he would see.

She lay on her side, the thrown sword piercing her through the stomach. He ran to her and slid to his knees before her, his own pain forgotten as he gently slipped his hand under her head where it lay on the dirty cobbles.

"Chiyo… Just keep calm… we can't pull it out yet, it might be stopping the bleeding…"

She looked at him with frightened eyes and nodded slowly.

"Spine…" said Rabbit quietly, his voice trembling. "There's no way…"

"Shut up! We were programmed as medics in the wars, weren't we?"

"Yes," Rabbit agreed between sobs. "Th-th-th-that's the problem…"

He stared at Rabbit for a long moment, realization setting in. Chiyo's face was very pale, he noticed.  
Too pale… But it couldn't be hopeless… A minute… that was all it had been, since she had sliced that demon in two. Just a few minutes ago she was whole. She was well. Just a bruise on her arm… How could a human life so quickly just stop? He'd been stabbed, too, and he was still walking around…

She clutched at his hand, shuddering.

"Chiyo…" The Spine sobbed.

"Rabbit? The Spine? They are gone… Oh, my…" Hatchworth looked down at Chiyo and sighed. His hat was fastened to his stovepipe, so he took off his glasses instead.

"Spine…" she mouthed. "Love… you…"

"Stop it!"_ I know what you're doing… Don't say goodbye. Don't…_ "You're gonna be alright. Don't give up… please…"

She took her other hand from where it rested over the sword hilt. Her fingers were covered in blood. She reached out, trembling, and placed her hand on the bloodied sword in his hands. There was a spark as she touched it. An answering spark lit the sky, arcing to the ground. They looked quickly and saw where it touched earth… The stone arch.

"That's the gateway!" Rabbit breathed. "By the blood of two houses…"

Chiyo nodded once more. "Hurry…"

"No!"

"Go…"

"Spine… we don't know how long it'll be open…" Rabbit trailed off, eyes on Chiyo.

"I can't…" The Spine sobbed, stroking her cheek. He looked into her eyes. Something was wrong… they seemed clouded.

"If you have anything to t-t-tell her, buddy…" Rabbit murmured.

"No…"

"Now's the time…"

"Chiyo…" The Spine whispered, though everything in him screamed in protest. "I love you…"

He gently lifted her, cradling her upper body with care not to jostle the sword and cause her more pain, and kissed her lightly. There was a tiny spark. She smiled.

They sat for what seemed a very long time, looking at that last smile. The Spine couldn't seem to move, to let her go. He told himself it was just his back, but he knew better. He knew he was leaking something, but he didn't much care.

"The Spine? Rabbit?" said Hatchworth quietly. "We cannot wait… I do not know how long we have…"

"I can't leave her like this…" whispered The Spine. Rabbit nodded.

"She should be buried," Hatchworth said matter-of-factly.

He reached down and took hold of the sword. The Spine clamped his eyes shut as the blade slid reluctantly out, and stayed that way, shuddering with misery, when it was done.

"Yeah, Hatchy, she should," said Rabbit gently, sniffling. "If we hafta leave her out here to get home, I don't wanna get home. But it's all stone around here…"

"The woods, maybe?"

The Spine nodded and stood, Chiyo in his arms. His legs shook. He took a wobbly step and Hatchworth leaped forward to steady him. The Spine leaned against one of the pillars at the top of the long staircase.

"The Spine? You are hurt?"

"I'll be okay…"

"But…"

"Rabbit…" he interrupted, clutching the post as his legs trembled. "I want to carry her b-b-b-but…" He shuddered like an old car.

Rabbit looked at him, eyes wide. He rose and took Chiyo from The Spine. Then he disappeared.

"Rabbit?"

From in front of him, he heard Rabbit cry, "Spine? Spine? Hey!"

Why was everything so dark all of a sudden?

**_night vision has failed…_**

"My… back…" It didn't hurt… because he wasn't getting signals from it anymore…

**_warning warning warning… systems shut down in progress… Repeat… system failure… blue matter compromised… _**

"The Spine…" said Hatchworth. "There is something in your back!"

"I… know…" he said slowly. Where were they?

**_wait… wouldn't that mean…_**

"Spine!" came Rabbit's voice. "You've been stabbed! Wh-wh-when did that… Spine?"

The world was tilting. It seemed to be pouring away like water.

Chiyo…

**_why are we recording a message telling him he's dying?_**

"Rab… b-b-b-b-b…" His voice turned to static.

**_oops… still recording… well, I'm sure he'll never hear this anyway… zzzzzttttttt!_**

"Spine!" Rabbit screamed. Something tugged at his wrist and slipped loose as the world fell away.

There was a thud, a crackle of electricity, and silence.


	14. Chapter 14: Hero

_"Spine!"_ shrieked Rabbit.

He and Hatchworth ran down the stairs the best they could. The Spine had rolled all the way to the bottom. Rabbit crouched beside him, trying not to scream as he examined him and saw massive dents and a shattered photoreceptor. He flipped The Spine's manual override switch, trying to reboot his secondary processor. He looked inside his head, but it looked just the same. He flipped him over and checked his back, hesitating to remove the broken piece of sword embedded in his spine.

He gasped. It was jammed through it! The tip of the sword poked through his titanium alloy spine and was lodged in The Spine's blue matter core…

And the core was dark.

"That… that… can't…" He couldn't say it. They weren't supposed to be able to just die! They went through many things because of it, but it just didn't up and happen… even their blue matter was durable enough to take abuse.

But this blue matter was a shish kebab! And… he wasn't sure why he thought this made a difference, but The Spine had a reason to not want to go on living…

"I can't lose you both, buddy… not all at once… Don't give up like this…" He sank forward and rested his head on The Spine's still form, too crushed to even weep.

"Rabbit?" Hatchworth said, a note of anxiety in his voice. It wasn't easy for Hatchworth to register emotions, so this meant he was fairly worried.

"Hatchy…" he said flatly. "He… he's gone, buddy. The-the-the Spine is gone… I-I-I can't believe it…"

Hatchworth patted Rabbit's shoulder. "Now we must bury both of them."

"Are you so eager to bury 'em, Hatchy?" Rabbit bit, still leaning forward.

"No, brother," said Hatchworth, sounding far more serious than usual. "I am not eager at all. It will break my poor heart."

Rabbit sighed. "Not mine… that ship has sailed."

Rabbit and Hatchworth stood at the bottom of the staircase, staring at a boulder. It had taken all the strength they had between them to push it into place.

"We have to go, Rabbit. They are safe there."

"How can we leave him behind, Hatchy?" Rabbit moaned.

"His blue matter core is dark. What more can we do? We cannot lift him back up the staircase… not in time. You said you didn't know how long it would stay open."

Rabbit shuddered, remembering the terrifying image of The Spine, suddenly silent, eyes already dark, falling as if in slow motion down the staircase before either of them could stop him. Hatchworth had grabbed for him and caught only his wrist; not enough to suspend the fall of a robotic man of The Spine's weight and he had been forced to let go before being pulled along with him.

Once they'd accepted what had happened, if only grudgingly, Hatchy had found a cavity in the rock beside the stairs. They placed him in it, gently laying Chiyo beside him, wrapped in his arms, and pushed the boulder over them both.

It was good… but it felt wrong…

"I'm sorry, Spine… I was supposed to b-b-be the big brother… But you never tell us when you need help…"

He roared in sudden fury. "Why d'you always hafta act like yer okay?" he screamed, punching the boulder. "Why d'you have to be such a damned hero?"

He leaned against the rock and sobbed at last.

Through his misery, something nagged at his memory. Hero… what was it she'd said?

_"The hero will draw life from the earth, light shall be restored, strength reclaimed, and memory pass into immortality."_

There was more than one steely warrior… more than one hero…

"Come on, Hatchy! We don't have much time!" he called, already well up the staircase.

"That's what I was telling you!" Hatchworth cried, running up the stairs two at a time.

The gateway shimmered before them. Rabbit walked toward it, stopping when he felt a familiar sensation.

"Pinky!" he gasped. "Aw, I missed ya, baby…" His moment of joy dissipated in an instant. "But I can't take ya with me, little one. Ya gotta stay here with the other little yokai."

He set her on the ground. "Thanks, Pinky. You were the best little squirrel friend I ever had. Take care of yourself!"

He turned toward the gateway once more, oily tears flowing freely, unable to bear seeing her as he left her behind. "Hope we're doing this right… stay close." Rabbit held the bloodied sword in front of him and walked through the arch, ducking his head as he passed through, Hatchworth close behind. They emerged almost instantly next to the shrine. Behind them, there was a flash, and the shimmering faded.

"Why did we not fall this time?"

"I don't know," said Rabbit faintly. But there was no time to discuss it. He could hear his own voice calling to Bunny.

"We're early? Is this thing broken?"

He saw himself in the distance handing a twenty over to his brother.

"Spine…" he said miserably. He could see him now… shining, clean, in his concert attire, looking down the staircase with a smirk. If he didn't leave the sword, none of this would happen.

And Chiyo, though she had died, might be left to a still uglier fate. And then there was the prophecy of a world shrouded in darkness… and finally… The Spine had asked him to do this. He wanted it to happen, to feel all of it. That was so him… Let it be pain, but let me feel human…

Rabbit, hands trembling, put down the sword. He and Hatchworth slipped away, hiding in a garden shed. Rabbit curled up on the floor and tried to cover his ears, to block out the sound of himself screaming for help, of The Spine being pulled back to his fate. After the last scream had faded, they crept out to find Michael Reed.

Rabbit could hear Paige crying as he stumped around the corner of the building.

"Rabbit!" she cried.

"I knew it, you troll!" cried Michael Reed, turning around with a grin. "There's a back… door…"

They all stared at Rabbit and Hatchworth in shock.

He could explain later. "Mike, we need to go to the bottom of the stairs! Maybe there's still a chance… Maybe you can fix him…"

"Rabbit!" he gasped. "What happened? Your… your face? What's happened? Where's the Spine?"

"_Come on_, we have to see if he's still there…"

He ignored further questions and remarks about his tattered kimono and headed down the staircase with Hatchworth.

"It has surely been at least four hundred years, brother Rabbit," said Hatchworth. "Would he still be in a state to be repaired?"

"If any of us would, it would be him. And if he isn't," he added grimly, "I'm gonna have a few things to say to his mechanic, especially about badly programmed back-up processors."

"What?" cried Michael indignantly.

"You heard me."

At the bottom, they found the same boulder, in the same place.

"Back to where we got it from, Hatchy. Right?" He and Hatchworth positioned themselves side by side and began to push. But sediment had built up around it; it trembled but didn't move.

Steve Negrete shrugged, positioned himself between them, and began shoving as well. The others joined them, and the rock began to grudgingly shudder forward into the street.

"Good thing it's a quiet neighborhood," grunted Matt.

Paige squeaked in shock and stopped pushing. They all looked down at what she'd seen.

The Spine, coated in several hundred layers of rain-borne silt and dust, lay in the ground, his arms still wrapped around the barest suggestion of a skeleton, their clothes already turned to dust. One of the skeleton's arm bones crumbled before their eyes.

They all stared, too stunned even for questions, except for Rabbit. He'd had too much. He stared with the others for a moment, sank to the ground, and wailed.


	15. Chapter 15: Old Man

A few days later, they were home. They never learned who paid their way from San Diego to Japan; Peter, in fact, had asked them not to look into it. If Peter was against asking questions, they knew it was serious. And the mysterious person or persons had also provided a custom shipping case for The Spine when it was time to return, so they decided as one not to knock it.

Rabbit hadn't spoken since they retrieved the body. He had stood and wept quietly as they reinterred Chiyo in a special ceremony provided by the confused shrine caretaker, who explained that he had no idea why they were sent to his shrine that day. He did give them the sword that was found in the grave… apparently a large sum of money had arrived for its purchase, with directions that it be sent with them back to San Diego.

At last, a few weeks after they got back, Rabbit sat in the cemetery behind Walter Manor with the katana across his knees, waiting for word about The Spine. Could they repair and activate his core, even after four centuries? And what would happen when he woke? If he woke… He would remember Chiyo had died. Surely even if the trouble had begun with a poorly completed back-up system, even Rabbit had to admit that it went far deeper than some electronic misfire. The Spine had really loved her.

Rabbit didn't blame him one bit.

"Rabbit! Rabbit… we've sealed the cut, replaced the missing blue matter, and we're just about to fire up the charger," said Michael, jogging into the cemetery. "If it's going to work, now's the time we'll find out. You coming to see?"

Rabbit shrugged. "If it doesn't work…"

"I'm pretty sure it will. It took a long time to clean him up, but everything that needed replacing has been replaced and he looks as good as new. We smoothed out the dents and there's new wiring connecting his primary systems."

"Mm…"

Michael sat next to Rabbit with difficulty. "How do you stay on this thing?" he asked, propping one foot against the ground as he leaned on the large sculpture the robots used as a bench. "Look… Hatchy told me all about the girl…"

"Her name was Chiyo. She was beautiful," said Rabbit softly, stroking the scabbard of the old sword absent-mindedly. "She was brave, and k-k-kind, her skills were amazing… and she always did the right thing…" He sighed at the sword. "She was p-perfect for him."

Michael said nothing for a moment. "Yeah, she sounds wonderful."

"She is… was… When he w-w-wakes up and remembers that she died… I don't think I can't see that right now, Mike."

"Well… I'll send someone out to tell you how it went."

"Thanks."

An hour later, Paige came upon him so quietly to hardly noticed her.

"He's asking to see you," she murmured.

Rabbit looked up. "He's… is he alright?"

"I think so. He's still charging up, so he's kinda weak. It's like he's recovering from a terrible illness."

He laughed a little sadly. "That Spine. Always havin' ta be like you humans."

He followed her inside. The Spine was still in the lab, lying on a work table. Someone had been aware enough of his personality to make sure he was wearing trousers.

"Spine!" he cried tremulously, hugging him around the middle where he lay. "I'm sorry! We were sure you were dead! Your core went dark…"

"So you buried me. I heard." He patted Rabbit's back. "It's okay. You did the right thing."

"How can you say that? We left you there for four hundred years!"

"Do you think I wanted you two to have to wait four hundred years, too? I was somewhere safe. You never would have made it."

Rabbit opened his mouth to object, and realized The Spine was right.

"Fine, laughing boy. I did the thing that made me feel like a heel and it turned out to be right. Heh, guess _you're_ the older brother now!" He sighed. "So… how are you handling…"

The Spine stared blankly up at the ceiling. "It's easier with my primary systems running again."

"What? You mean it really was your back-up processor doin' it?"

The Spine said nothing.

"Huh. So you're okay…" He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Jealous, possibly… Could it be that The Spine no longer cared that she was dead? "Well… I'll let you rest, then…"

"Thank you, Rabbit."

"Don't mention it, you need to recover…"

"No…" He caught Rabbit's wrist and held him back. "I mean, doing what you did. Burying us together. It… it was all I could have, to rest with her when there was nothing left…"

Rabbit shuddered, still more confused. So he _did _care? But what a strange way to show it… "Really? It doesn't freak you out?"

"Really. I know it sounds sick. I know… It's not that I was conscious. But it makes it easier, looking back, knowing… just knowing she didn't have to be buried alone. She'd been so lonely for so long..."

"Uh…" He sighed. Weirdo. "Yeah, guess y-y-you were right about that back-up processor," he murmured sarcastically. "Now that you're fixed there's no silly sentiment clouding yer judgment at all…"

The Spine closed his eyes. "I… think I need to rest more now…"

"Right…" Rabbit turned, making no mention of the oil leaking down The Spine's face.


	16. Chapter 16: Photographic Memories

Five years later, they had the opportunity to visit Japan again, this time for a legitimate convention. Steve Negrete had suggested The Spine visit the monument. The Spine was uneasy, but Steve explained that he needed to see it, needed the closure. It made enough sense that The Spine agreed, and he, Hatchworth, and Rabbit went together, bringing flowers for Chiyo.

There was a simple stone monument over her grave now. It contained the little information they had been able to provide. The Spine stared at it.

"Ya gonna be okay, buddy?" asked Rabbit softly.

"I've told you 768 times, Rabbit… it's much easier with all my systems online and functioning."

"Yeah… but that d-d-don't mean you don't feel anything. Humans show their feelings, y'know…"

"Some do. But it's not as bad, really."

"Alright," he replied, in a "have it your way but don't think you're fooling anyone" tone of voice. "C'mon, Hatchy. I wanna make sure there's no time vortexes around anywhere."

"I want to go home…" said Hatchworth nervously.

"I'm only foolin'. C'mon. We'll see if any of the squirrels look like Pinky." They walked away.

The Spine knelt and placed his flowers on the grave.

"At least I got to say goodbye properly… I had that. It really is easier to cope now. The pain isn't nearly what it was."

He stared at the cold stone.

_Chiyo…_

The sob tore from him seconds later, forcing its way past all the reasoning, all the rational statements, the wise and mature words, leaving all in ruins. The feelings surging through him didn't care which processor was running, or how much time had passed. He sank to the ground, collapsed in a ball against the stone, and buried his face in the crook of his arm, weeping in rough gasps, too distraught to even try to muffle the sound.

"I'm… so sorry…" he choked.

Rabbit and Hatchworth kept clear when they heard the distant sounds of grief. Rabbit came alone to check on him when they had grown softer, half an hour later. His chin trembled as he looked at the stone and remembered the thin skeleton of the girl he had... The Spine had…

And walking around to the other side of the stone, he found a pitiful figure the likes of which he had seldom seen… and had hoped never to see again.

"Aw, Spine…" he whispered. The Spine didn't look up.

He swallowed, though he didn't need to. He sank to the ground beside his brother and put his arm around him. The Spine made no response except to lean in to Rabbit's shoulder and shudder with fresh sobs. And Rabbit understood. He could no more forget her than his brother could. But The Spine held things back. He just never quite understood… If you don't bend, you break… Seeing him in tears was actually a bit of a relief.

"C-couldn't save her…"

"I know," he murmured, trying not to picture the moment he had watched helplessly as the sword flew past his brother and struck Chiyo. "N-n-neither could I. But we're n-n-never gonna forget her, are we? They always say that in the manga comics when someone goes away..."

He gave The Spine a little squeeze and felt his own tears start. They sat as the shadow of the stone grew long across them and the strange crickets began to sing.

"C'mon, buddy. Time to go," he murmured, when both had at last grown calm. The Spine nodded.

Relieved that they'd waited until after the convention to make the visit, they went back to their hotel, and then home.

_"All those memories, I can't wash them away, they are embedded in my brain and I am all alone now, with these photographic memories, and they'll die on with me."_

_NOTE:_

The only happy ending available was for The Spine at least to live and Rabbit to comfort him. That's what David came up with... the sad ending, I mean. I made up the other bits. And I thought the fans were hard on the bots... I forget to add this... some art that inspired the scene of The Spine collapsing in grief by her grave.  
I Grew Numb To That Feeling Of Pain by ~WonderfulMika on deviantART 


End file.
